NTSB: Submerged Jetty Sank Towboat
A towing vessel grounded on a submerged jetty last year after the captain maneuvered too close to a bank of the Ohio River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a June 25 report.
The mv. Tom Frazier was pushing 15 empty hopper barges near Portsmouth, Ohio, on February 10, 2024, when the vessel grounded, damaging its hull plating, framing and bulkheads and flooding several spaces. The nine-person crew was safely evacuated to shore. An estimated five gallons of oil were released. Vessel damage totaled $258,737. The jetties were charted on the electronic navigation chart and visible on the vessel’s electronic charting system, but the captain did not identify the hazard, NTSB found.
As the Tom Frazier’s tow approached the U.S. Grant Bridge in Portsmouth, the captain made passing arrangements with another vessel. The Tom Frazier’s captain maneuvered the tow to port, toward the right descending bank, to facilitate the passing. The maneuver was outside the charted 9-foot-depth contour line and too close to two stone jetties, which were submerged at the time.
The Tom Frazier is a 136-foot-long towboat built in 1979 by Jeffboat Inc. in Jeffersonville, Ind., and it was operated by McNational Inc. in the line haul service. On the day of the grounding, the tow’s total length was 1,135 feet, and its width was 112 feet. The draft of the Tom Frazier was 11.2 feet, while the draft of the barges ranged from 1.5 to 2 feet.
At 6:38 p.m., with the captain at the helm, the Tom Frazier successfully transited through the Carl D. Perkins Bridge. As the Tom Frazier tow transited through the U.S. Grant Bridge, the captain contacted the operator of the 113.3-foot-long towing vessel Debi Sharp, which was downbound 1.5 miles away pushing 25 barges (19 loaded and 6 empty), to make passing arrangements. The captain of the Tom Frazier and operator of the Debi Sharp agreed to meet starboard-to-starboard, and about 6:47 p.m., the Tom Frazier tow cleared the U.S. Grant Bridge slightly left of the sailing line in preparation for the passing arrangement. Once clear of the U.S. Grant Bridge, the captain of the Tom Frazier maneuvered farther to port toward the right descending bank to give the Debi Sharp more room to maneuver, since the Debi Sharp was downbound making 5.5 mph in a following current.
The analysis concluded that the captain’s failure to identify the challenge posed by the submerged jetties was the probable cause.
