NTSB: Mate Missed Barges In Fog Before Contact

A mate aboard the William E. Strait did not realize how close two unlit moored barges at a refinery dock were to the towboat’s aft during fleeting operations in dense fog and rain. That led to contact that caused more than a half million dollars in damage, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded. The event took place in December 2023.

The NTSB released its investigative report to the public December 23.

The William E. Strait, with a tow of 19 barges, was pushed into the left descending bank of the Lower Mississippi River at Mile 126.8, near Norco, La., on December 10, 2023. The location is just downriver from the Shell Norco Refinery. The fleeting boat Steel Skipper, owned by Commerce Bank and operated by Plimsoll Marine Inc., pushed the William E. Strait astern while reconfiguring its tow after removing three barges to the Upper St. Rose fleeting area across the river, according to the report.

The Steel Skipper was repositioning the remaining two barges from the starboard string to newly created space in the center string after transferring three barges to the fleet.

“The mate of the William E. Strait said that, about 0210 [2:10 a.m.], he felt the vessel begin to move astern in the direction of the Shell Norco Refinery dock as the fleeting tug moved the last two barges into position at the head of the tow,” the report stated.

The William E. Strait’s engines were not engaged at the time. The mate told the NTSB that at the time the crew was experiencing “almost shut out visibility” during a dense fog advisory and a thunderstorm.

The Steel Skipper finished its work about 2:15 a.m. With the weather clearing, the mate then noticed “extra equipment tied off to [the] Shell dock. It appeared to be a barge that wasn’t lit well but a bit below [the] dock,” he said.

It was later determined that the unmanned 192-foot-long crane barge Cajun Courage and 195-foot-long deck barge CBD02 were moored at Shell Norco Refinery dock No. 3. The barges were lit only by a spotlight from the dock, with no deck or running lights.

The mate walked to the stern to check that the towboat was clear and then got the William E. Strait underway about 3 a.m., heading downbound with 16 barges for the Gnots Reserve fleeting area at Mile 118.

A few days later, Shell Norco Refinery discovered damage to the dock and the two barges. A Shell Norco Refinery boat lift was also damaged. Damages were estimated at $1,000 for the Cajun Courage and CDB02, both owned by Cajun Industries LLC, and $500,000 for the facility. No one was injured. No pollution was reported.

Using automatic identification system and vessel traffic service data, investigators determined that at the same time the last two barges were pushed into place in the tow of the William E. Strait by the Steel Skipper, the William E. Strait moved astern about 400 feet toward the moored crane and deck barges at the Shell Norco Refinery dock. The NTSB stated that the stern of the William E. Strait contacted the two moored barges, which were pushed into the dock, damaging it.

“Because of the reduced visibility, the mate, who was on the bridge at the time, did not recognize that his vessel was in danger of contacting the moored barges and dock aft of the tow, and therefore did not use his engines to attempt to avoid them,” the NTSB report stated.

The NTSB found that the probable cause of the contact between the William E. Strait and the moored barges at the dock was the mate not recognizing the proximity of the unlit barges. Contributing factors included the dense fog and rain, which obscured visibility.

The William E. Strait is a 184-foot-long, 3,600 hp. twin-screw towboat built in 1955 by Dravo Corporation of Pittsburgh. It is owned by Smithland Towing & Construction LLC. In December 2023, Western Rivers Boat Management LLC was operating the Strait in the line haul service.