Classification
- Incident Type: Collision
- Severity: High
- Classification basis: The web evidence documents a collision involving dangerous cargo, fire, crew injuries, and constructive total loss of Brazos.
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Brazos |
| Vessel Names | Brazos / Fort Calgary |
| Vessel Type | Tug |
| Flag State | United States [US] |
| IMO Number | |
| Gross Tonnage | |
| LOA (m) | 16.46 |
| Breadth (m) | |
| Bollard Pull (t) | |
| Power (kW) | 800 hp |
| Owner/Operator | Rio Towing Company |
| Year Built | 1977 |
| Crew Size | 5 |
The Naval Marine Archive lists Brazos as a 1977 towboat of 72 gross tons and 54 feet length, with official number 587704. Because available vessel records do not agree on gross tonnage, the field remains unresolved. The NTSB Federal Register record identifies the operator in its recommendations as Rio Towing Company. Fort Calgary was a Bermudan bulk carrier.
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 1980-08-07 |
| Location | Houston Ship Channel, Houston, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 29.7000, -95.0000 |
| Region | United States |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | 5 |
| Missing | |
| Cargo Loss | Butadiene cargo from a towed barge was lost |
| Investigation Body | National Transportation Safety Board |
| Direct Damage | Brazos was set on fire and became a constructive total loss; a towed barge's butadiene cargo was lost; Fort Calgary sustained damage. |
| Economic Damage | USD 860,000 |
Key facts
- The accident involved U.S. towboat Brazos, its tow, and Bermudan bulk carrier Fort Calgary in the Houston Ship Channel.
- A towed barge released butadiene, which ignited and set Brazos on fire.
- A secondary account reports injuries to all five Brazos crew members and total damage of USD 860,000.
- The NTSB issued recommendations concerning butadiene inhibition, deep-draft traffic management, Houston-Galveston VTS, radio communications, cargo identification, and tankerman certification.
- A vessel-history record lists Brazos as a 1977 towboat of 72 gross tons and 54 feet length.
Narrative
On 7 August 1980, Brazos and its tow collided with Fort Calgary in the Houston Ship Channel. A towed barge released butadiene, which ignited and set Brazos on fire. A secondary account reports that all five Brazos crew members were injured, that Brazos became a constructive total loss, and that total damage was estimated at USD 860,000.
The official Federal Register record identifies the investigation as NTSB-MAR-81-1 and records recommendations directed to the U.S. Coast Guard and Rio Towing Company. Those recommendations addressed certification of butadiene inhibition on unmanned barges, traffic management when the full channel width was unavailable to deep-draft vessels, Houston-Galveston VTS, bridge-to-bridge radio communications, cargo identification, and tankerman certification. A secondary account summarizing the NTSB finding reports that Fort Calgary's near-full-sea-speed operation intensified manoeuvring effects and contributed to loss of control. That causal detail remains attributed to the secondary account because the official notice does not reproduce the full report narrative.
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Near-full-sea-speed operation | Reported | A secondary account reports that the NTSB linked Fort Calgary's near-full-sea-speed operation to intensified manoeuvring effects and loss of control. |
| Restricted channel management | Reported | The NTSB recommended traffic management when the full Houston Ship Channel width was unavailable for safe passage of deep-draft vessels. |
| Dangerous-cargo controls | Reported | The NTSB recommended certification of butadiene inhibition when transported by an unmanned barge. |
| Communication and cargo information | Reported | The NTSB issued recommendations concerning bridge-to-bridge communications and operators' knowledge of barge cargoes. |
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the collision under Marine Accident Report NTSB-MAR-81-1. The official Federal Register notice records the report and the resulting recommendations. Because that notice does not reproduce the full report narrative or a primary casualty table, the five-injury and USD 860,000 figures remain identified as secondary evidence.
References
- Federal Register record of NTSB-MAR-81-1 and recommendations
- NTSB marine investigation reports
- Secondary account discussing the casualty
- Naval Marine Archive Brazos vessel record
- T&T Salvage towing-vessel list