Skip to main content

Accidents

Maersk Idaho (2019)

On the afternoon of 7 June 2019, Christopher Reed and Jana Reed launched a 20-foot center-console fishing boat and crossed Galveston Bay. At about 15:40, they crossed the Houston Ship Channel near buoys 31/32, as Maersk Idaho was moving inbound toward the Bayport Container Terminal with a Houston pilot at the conn. The containership was making about 15 knots.

Classification

  • Incident Type: Hydrodynamic Interaction
  • Severity: High
  • Evidence status: Federal court memorandum opinion and order

Vessel Details

FieldValue
Vessel NameMaersk Idaho
Vessel TypeContainer
Flag StateUnited States [US]
IMO Number9193264
Gross Tonnage50698
LOA (m)292
Breadth (m)32.3
Owner/OperatorMaersk Line, Limited

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date2019-06-07
TimeApproximately 15:48–15:49 local time
LocationHouston Ship Channel in Galveston Bay, near buoys 31/32, Texas, United States
Coordinates29.7000, -95.0000
RegionUnited States
Fatalities1
Injuries
Missing0
Cargo Loss
Direct DamageGel-coat cracking and a fractured trolling-motor bracket on the recreational boat; the court said the evidence was consistent with impact with a large wave
Economic Damage
Insured Loss
Salvage/Cleanup Cost

Key facts

  • Maersk Idaho was transiting inbound toward the Bayport Container Terminal at about 15 knots near buoys 31/32.
  • The Reeds' boat crossed behind Maersk Idaho and encountered its starboard and then port wake fields.
  • Christopher Reed fell overboard at approximately 15:48–15:49 and drowned; his body was recovered two days later.
  • The federal court found that the plaintiffs failed to prove violations involving lookout, safe speed, excessive wake, or other negligence by the Maersk defendants.

Narrative

On the afternoon of 7 June 2019, Christopher Reed and Jana Reed launched a 20-foot center-console fishing boat and crossed Galveston Bay. At about 15:40, they crossed the Houston Ship Channel near buoys 31/32, as Maersk Idaho was moving inbound toward the Bayport Container Terminal with a Houston pilot at the conn. The containership was making about 15 knots.

The Reeds' boat then crossed the channel about half a mile behind Maersk Idaho. It passed through the containership's starboard wake field and entered a calmer area between the two wake fields. Neither occupant was wearing a life preserver. When the boat entered Maersk Idaho's port-side wake field at about 15:48–15:49, Reed fell overboard. Jana Reed attempted to help him with a dock line, but he disappeared beneath the water. She called 911; the Texas City Fire Department and Coast Guard responded, and Reed's body was recovered two days later.

The court record describes gel-coat cracking and a fractured trolling-motor bracket on the recreational boat. It also records competing expert and witness testimony about wake size, shallow-water effects, speed, lookout, and small-boat handling. The court ultimately found that the plaintiffs had not proved Maersk Idaho was proceeding at an unsafe speed, produced an excessive or dangerously sized wake, failed to maintain a proper lookout, or otherwise acted negligently. The court therefore found no legal causation or liability on the part of the defendants.

Sequence of events

Date/timeEvent
2019-06-07 15:40 localThe Reeds' boat crossed the Houston Ship Channel near buoys 31/32 while Maersk Idaho transited inbound toward the Bayport Container Terminal.
2019-06-07, shortly after 15:40The Reeds' boat crossed behind Maersk Idaho and encountered the ship's starboard wake field.
2019-06-07 15:48–15:49 localThe boat entered the port-side wake field and Christopher Reed fell overboard.
2019-06-07, after the fallJana Reed called 911; the Texas City Fire Department and Coast Guard responded.
2019-06-09Reed's body was recovered two days after the casualty.

Investigation

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a memorandum opinion and order on 5 January 2023 in Reed v. Maersk Line, Limited. The court found that the plaintiffs failed to prove that Maersk Idaho violated the applicable lookout or safe-speed rules, produced an excessive wake, or was otherwise negligent. It also found that the defendants' conduct was not legally causative and entered judgment for the defendants.

References

Similar incidents

  • [2000-04-21: Tancred (2000) [Superseded duplicate]](incident-0087-tancred.md)