Collision between Dewey R tow and P. B. Shah tow

Classification

• Incident Type: Collision
• Severity: High

Vessel Details

Named vessels and barges

Incident Details

Key facts

• The two tows collided at 19:59 local time on 2 September 2015 at Lower Mississippi River mile marker 937 near Columbus, Kentucky.
• Dewey R was pushing four loaded tank barges downbound, while P. B. Shah was pushing 24 loaded barges upbound.
• The collision breached APEX 3508 and released 120,000 gallons of clarified slurry oil into the river.
• Four barges were damaged, with estimated property damage of USD 1.1 million; no injuries were reported.
• The NTSB determined that distraction affected the P. B. Shah captain's decision-making and recollection of the passing arrangement.

Narrative

On 2 September 2015, the towing vessel Dewey R was pushing four loaded tank barges downbound on the Lower Mississippi River. The towing vessel P. B. Shah was approaching upbound with 24 loaded barges. Their tows met near mile marker 937, close to Columbus, Kentucky, on a section of the Western Rivers where the vessels needed a clear and mutually understood passing arrangement.

The P. B. Shah captain contacted the Dewey R and proposed a port-to-port passage, but his intended manoeuvre was a starboard-to-starboard meeting. The NTSB found that the P. B. Shah captain was distracted by other duties, which affected his decision-making and his recollection of the radio exchange. The Dewey R captain subsequently became uncertain about the original agreement and attempted to move across the river to keep clear. The captains did not effectively monitor whether the proposed meeting arrangement was developing as expected or take timely action to prevent the collision.

At 19:59 local time, the lead portions of the two tows collided. Four named barges sustained damage. APEX 3508, part of the Dewey R tow, suffered breaches to its no. 3 starboard wing void and cargo tank. APEX 1703 sustained damage to cargo piping and a heater. In the P. B. Shah tow, ING 5713 was punctured and the starboard bow corner of IB1947 was crushed and holed. The breach of APEX 3508 discharged about 120,000 gallons of clarified slurry oil into the river. No injuries were reported, and the NTSB estimated property damage at USD 1.1 million.

The spill response continued through 24 September. By then, responders had recovered an estimated 3,392 tons of dewatered oily sediment. The NTSB concluded that the probable cause was the effect of distraction on the P. B. Shah captain's decisions and recollection. The investigation also found that both captains failed to monitor the progress and effectiveness of their meeting proposal and to take appropriate collision-avoidance action.

Sequence of events

Contributing factors

Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the casualty as accident DCA15LM034 and published Marine Accident Brief: Collision between Dewey R Tow and P. B. Shah Tow (MAB-16/22). It determined that the probable cause was the effect of distraction on the P. B. Shah captain's decision-making and recollection. The NTSB also found that both captains failed to monitor the meeting proposal effectively and take appropriate action to avoid collision.

References

• NTSB Marine Accident Brief: Collision between Dewey R Tow and P. B. Shah Tow

Related

• P. B. Shah
• APEX 3508
• APEX 1703
• ING 5713
• IB1947
• United States
• Dewey R
• NTSB
• Collision
• Tug Incident Classification

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