Bunun Queen (2022) | Novatug Maritime Wiki

Classification

Incident Type: Collision
Severity: Medium

Vessel Details

Field	Value
Vessel Name	Bunun Queen
Vessel Type	Bulk Carrier
Flag State	Liberia [LR]
IMO Number	9912438
Gross Tonnage	23759
LOA (m)	179.9
Breadth (m)	30.0
Year Built	2022
Crew Size	20
Power (kW)	6330
Owner/Operator	Unicorn Pescadores, S.A. / Wisdom Marine International
Other vessel	Thunder, offshore supply vessel

Incident Details

Field	Value
Date	2022-07-23
Location	Gulf of Mexico, 66 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana
Coordinates	28.009667, -90.341500
Region	Gulf of Mexico
Fatalities	0
Injuries	0
Missing	0
Direct Damage	Bunun Queen port bow and bulbous bow damage; Thunder port-side penetration and flooding in four spaces
Economic Damage	USD 12.3 million

Key facts

The collision occurred about 1314 central daylight time on 23 July 2022, at the position reported as 28°0.58' N, 90°20.49' W.
Bunun Queen was eastbound with 20 crew members; Thunder was northbound with 18 crew members.
Thunder's port side was penetrated, flooding its port propulsion room, an empty port cargo tank, a void space, and no. 7 port ballast tank.
Eleven of Thunder's 18 crew members were evacuated to the Good Samaritan vessel Lady Tierney; the remaining crew stayed with Thunder during the tow to port.
The NTSB reported no injuries, no pollution, and estimated combined property damage of USD 12.3 million.

Narrative

On 23 July 2022, Bunun Queen was transiting eastbound in the Gulf of Mexico and Thunder was transiting northbound. Both vessels were operating on autopilot as they approached a developing crossing situation. The NTSB report states that each vessel was visible to the other and appeared on the available radar and AIS displays, but neither bridge watch officer maintained a proper lookout.

On Bunun Queen, the second officer was the sole watchstander after the assigned able seaman left the bridge to rest. The second officer became engaged in a non-navigational task, printing updates for electronic navigation charts and digital publications. On Thunder, the master was the sole person on the bridge while the second mate and training mate were away from the bridge. The master told investigators that he had been using a cell phone before the collision. Neither vessel's ARPA target-tracking and alarm functions were being used to detect the approaching vessel.

The vessels were not detected visually until moments before impact. At about 1314 central daylight time, Bunun Queen's bulbous bow struck Thunder's port side. Thunder lost propulsion and began flooding in four spaces, while Bunun Queen sustained deformation and cracking in its port bow and bulbous bow. Thunder's crew sounded the general alarm and began controlling the flooding. Eleven crew members transferred to Lady Tierney, while the remaining crew stayed aboard for the response and tow. A tug arrived later that evening and towed Thunder to Port Fourchon, where it was secured on 24 July. Bunun Queen departed the area for New Orleans after the collision.

The NTSB estimated repair costs of about USD 680,000 for Bunun Queen and USD 11,598,078 for Thunder. The report records no injuries and no pollution.

Sequence of events

Date/time	Event
2022-07-23 11:45 CDT	Bunun Queen's second officer relieved the third officer of the navigation watch.
2022-07-23 12:30 CDT	The able seaman left Thunder's bridge, leaving its master as the sole bridge occupant.
2022-07-23 13:13 CDT	The approaching vessels were detected only moments before the collision.
2022-07-23 13:14 CDT	Bunun Queen's bulbous bow struck Thunder's port side.
2022-07-23 14:11 CDT	Eleven of Thunder's 18 crew members transferred to Lady Tierney.
2022-07-23 23:00 CDT	A tug arrived and began towing Thunder to Port Fourchon.
2022-07-24 17:23 CDT	Thunder was secured at a Port Fourchon dock.

Contributing factors

Factor	Evidence status	Description
Failure to maintain a proper lookout	Confirmed finding	The NTSB found that neither officer on watch maintained a lookout by sight, hearing, or available electronic means.
Non-navigational distraction on Bunun Queen	Confirmed finding	The second officer was performing chart and publication update tasks while acting as the sole watchstander.
Cell phone use on Thunder	Confirmed finding	Thunder's master told investigators that he was using a cell phone before the collision.
Thunder watchkeeping policy violation	Confirmed finding	The master was the sole bridge watchstander even though Thunder's standing orders required at least two people on the bridge while underway.

Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the casualty as Marine Investigation Report MIR-23-09. It determined that the probable cause was the Bunun Queen officer's distraction by non-navigational tasks and the Thunder officer's distraction by cell phone use, which kept both officers from maintaining a proper lookout. The NTSB also found that Thunder's officer on watch did not follow the company's watchkeeping policies.

References

NTSB Marine Investigation Report MIR-23-09