Classification
- Incident Type: Capsize unknown mechanism
- Severity: High
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Ricky Robinson |
| Vessel Type | Tug |
| Flag State | United States [US] |
| IMO Number | |
| MMSI | 367517770 |
| Call Sign | WDG2647 |
| Gross Tonnage | |
| LOA (m) | |
| Owner/Operator | Wepfer Marine Inc. |
| Year Built | 1976 |
| Crew Size | 2 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2017-12-08 |
| Location | Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Region | United States |
| Coordinates | 35.1460, -90.0518 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage |
The NTSB investigation report records two fatalities, no injuries, and no persons left unaccounted for in the final casualty outcome. The reviewed sources do not provide a vessel-damage or economic-loss estimate.
Key facts
- Coast Guard watchstanders received a mayday at 11:42 on 8 December 2017 reporting that the 66-foot pusher tug was sinking with two people aboard.
- The search involved Coast Guard and local agency assets and covered approximately 29 hours and 324 nautical miles of river, according to the contemporaneous gCaptain report.
- The NTSB final casualty account records two fatalities. The deckhand's body was recovered from the wreckage, while the pilot was presumed dead and the pilot's body was not recovered.
- No cause or mechanism for the sinking is established in the sources reviewed.
Narrative
Ricky Robinson was an uninspected towing vessel owned by Wepfer Marine Inc. and operating near Memphis on the Lower Mississippi River. At 11:42 on 8 December 2017, Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River watchstanders received a mayday reporting that the 66-foot pusher tug was sinking near mile marker 733 with two people aboard. Coast Guard and local agency assets began searching the river.
The contemporaneous report initially described both people as missing. The Coast Guard later suspended the search after approximately 29 hours and 324 nautical miles of river had been searched. The NTSB Marine Accident Brief MAB-18/27 provides the final casualty account: there were two fatalities, the deckhand's body was recovered from the wreckage, and the pilot was presumed dead although the pilot's body was not recovered. No survivors were recorded.
The reviewed sources do not establish whether the loss resulted from a particular capsize, stability, collision, mechanical, or environmental mechanism. Vessel particulars beyond the available identity data, the extent of damage, and any economic loss estimate also remain unresolved.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2017-12-08 11:42 | Coast Guard watchstanders received a mayday reporting that Ricky Robinson was sinking with two people aboard. |
| 2017-12-08 onward | Coast Guard and local agencies searched the Lower Mississippi River near Memphis. |
| After approximately 29 hours | The Coast Guard suspended the search after covering approximately 324 nautical miles of river. |
| 2018-12-19 | The NTSB published Marine Accident Brief MAB-18/27 with the final casualty account. |
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident under investigation ID DCA18FM007 and published Marine Accident Brief MAB-18/27. The report establishes the final casualty outcome as two fatalities. The reviewed source material does not establish the mechanism of the sinking or provide damage and economic-loss estimates.
References
- NTSB Marine Accident Brief MAB-18/27: Ricky Robinson
- gCaptain: Two People Missing After Tug Sinks on Mississippi River Near Memphis