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Accidents

City of Greenville (1983)

City of Greenville left Wood River, Illinois, at about 2045 on 2 April 1983, pushing four single-hull tank barges loaded with about 65,000 barrels of crude oil toward Memphis. The tow measured about 1,045 feet long and 50 feet wide. The Mississippi River was high, with a stage near 28 feet and current of six to seven mph. After passing the closely spaced Veterans Memorial and Eads bridges, a crosscurrent set the tow toward the Illinois side. The operator used rudder to protect the towboat from the Eads Bridge's low steel, leaving the tow angled across the river. (NTSB/MAR-83/10, PDF pp. 4-6)

Classification

  • Incident Type: Allision
  • Severity: High
  • Region: United States

Vessel Details

FieldValue
Vessel NameCity of Greenville
Vessel TypeTug
Flag StateUnited States [US]
Owner/OperatorValley Towing Service, Inc.
Year Built1958

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date1983-04-02
LocationPoplar Street Bridge, Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois
RegionUnited States
Fatalities0
Injuries1
Missing
Direct Damage
Economic DamageAbout USD 9 million

Key facts

  • The 1,045-foot tow carried about 65,000 barrels of crude oil in four single-hull tank barges.
  • The tow struck the right pier of the Illinois-side span at about 2320 CST after the operator mistook that span for the main navigation span.
  • About 16,800 barrels of crude oil were lost; fires affected about two miles of waterfront and pollution extended about ten river miles.
  • Three barges broke away, one sank, and two caused secondary impacts at industrial loading facilities; two barges were constructive total losses.
  • There were no deaths and one shoreside worker sustained minor injuries; combined damage and cleanup costs were about USD 9 million.

Narrative

City of Greenville left Wood River, Illinois, at about 2045 on 2 April 1983, pushing four single-hull tank barges loaded with about 65,000 barrels of crude oil toward Memphis. The tow measured about 1,045 feet long and 50 feet wide. The Mississippi River was high, with a stage near 28 feet and current of six to seven mph. After passing the closely spaced Veterans Memorial and Eads bridges, a crosscurrent set the tow toward the Illinois side. The operator used rudder to protect the towboat from the Eads Bridge's low steel, leaving the tow angled across the river. (NTSB/MAR-83/10, PDF pp. 4-6)

The operator then steered toward green lights on the Poplar Street Bridge, believing they might mark the main navigation span and that its white identifying lights were extinguished. They actually marked the Illinois-side span. By the time he identified the main span farther to starboard, he believed there was insufficient room to realign the tow. At about 2320 CST, the tow struck the right pier of the side span between its second and third barges. (NTSB/MAR-83/10, PDF pp. 6-8)

The impact ruptured the center barges. Crude oil ignited almost immediately, producing flames as high as the bridge roadway. Three barges broke away. V884 sank about one mile downstream; other barges struck the Monsanto chemical facility and Pillsbury grain terminal, damaging moored barges, a chemical pipeline, conveyors, and waterfront structures. About 16,800 barrels of crude oil were lost. City of Greenville remained undamaged. There were no deaths; one worker at the Monsanto facility sustained minor injuries. (NTSB/MAR-83/10, PDF pp. 8-10)

City of Greenville's operator notified the Coast Guard and moored with the remaining barge. Coast Guard cutters, local firefighters, and commercial vessels fought fires and secured barges. Most fires were extinguished the next morning, although some grain barges smouldered for about a week. Valley Towing deployed a cleanup contractor under Coast Guard supervision. Damage to the tow and cargo was about USD 1.5 million, waterfront facilities and moored barges about USD 7.6 million, and oil cleanup USD 550,000; combined losses were summarized at about USD 9 million. (NTSB/MAR-83/10, PDF pp. 8-10)

Sequence of events

Date/timeEvent
1983-04-02 20:45 CSTCity of Greenville departed Wood River with four crude-oil barges for Memphis.
1983-04-02 23:20 CSTThe tow struck a pier of the Illinois-side span of the Poplar Street Bridge.
1983-04-02Crude oil ignited and three barges broke away, causing secondary impacts downstream.
1983-04-03Most fires were extinguished; oil containment and cleanup continued.

Contributing factors

FactorEvidence statusDescription
Main-span identificationConfirmed findingThe operator failed to identify the main navigation span in time to align the tow.
Limited local knowledgeConfirmed findingThe operator was insufficiently familiar with high-water currents and bridge configuration in St. Louis.
Crosscurrent and tow alignmentConfirmed findingHigh-water crosscurrent at the Eads Bridge set the tow left and contributed to its diagonal approach.
Relief operator attentionConfirmed findingA more attentive relief operator familiar with the area might have warned the operator in time.

Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board adopted Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-83/10 on 29 November 1983. It determined that the probable cause was the operator's failure to identify the main navigation span in time to align the tow. Recommendations addressed local-knowledge examinations, bridge marking and lighting, navigation guides, bridge-profile charts, and operator qualification procedures. (NTSB/MAR-83/10, PDF pp. 19-21)

References

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