Classification
- Incident Type: Collision
- Severity: High
- Tug involvement: yes
- Tug mechanism: Miss Susan was pushing two tank barges across the Houston Ship Channel.
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Summer Wind |
| Vessel Type | Bulk Carrier |
| Flag State | Liberia [LR] |
| IMO Number | 9114139 |
| Gross Tonnage | 25503 |
| LOA (m) | 185 |
| Breadth (m) | 30.5 |
| Year Built | 1995 |
| Crew Size | 22 crew; 1 Houston pilot |
Other involved vessels:
| Vessel | Type | Flag | Owner/operator | Length | Gross tonnage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Susan | Towing vessel | United States [US] | Kirby Inland Marine | 21.3 m | 131 | Pushing Kirby 27705 and Kirby 27706. |
| Kirby 27705 | Tank barge | United States [US] | Kirby Inland Marine | 91.4 m | 1632 | Trailing barge in the tow. |
| Kirby 27706 | Tank barge | United States [US] | Kirby Inland Marine | 91.4 m | 1632 | Lead barge struck by Summer Wind. |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2014-03-22 |
| Location | Houston Ship Channel, Lower Galveston Bay, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29.363500, -94.797500 |
| Region | United States |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Investigation Body | NTSB |
| Cargo Loss | About 168,000 gallons of RMG 380 fuel oil |
| Direct Damage | USD 1,377,121 vessel/barge damage |
| Economic Damage | nearly USD 1,378,000 excluding oil response and recovery |
Key facts
- At about 1235 central daylight time on 22 March 2014, Summer Wind collided with the Miss Susan tow in the Houston Ship Channel.
- Summer Wind struck the starboard side of the lead tank barge, Kirby 27706, breaching its double hull.
- About 168,000 gallons of RMG 380 fuel oil entered the waterway.
- Two Miss Susan crewmembers sustained minor inhalation-related injuries and were released from hospital the next morning.
- The NTSB identified the Miss Susan captain's attempted crossing ahead of Summer Wind as the probable cause and reported additional failures involving speed, communication, VTS interaction, and vessel separation policy.
Narrative
On 22 March 2014, the 607-foot bulk carrier Summer Wind was inbound to Houston with a Houston pilot on board. The 70-foot towing vessel Miss Susan was bound from Texas City toward Port Bolivar while pushing the tank barges Kirby 27705 and Kirby 27706. Fog restricted visibility in the Houston Ship Channel and Lower Galveston Bay area.
The Miss Susan captain announced that the tow was crossing the channel. The NTSB found that the captain attempted to cross ahead of Summer Wind, even though the bulk carrier had limited room to manoeuvre outside the channel because of its draft. The vessels did not establish early direct communication about their intended passages. The Summer Wind pilot later ordered reduced speed, but then ordered full-ahead speed again before the collision.
At about 1235 central daylight time, Summer Wind's bulbous bow struck Kirby 27706 about halfway along the barge's starboard side. The impact punctured the barge's double hull and released about 4,000 barrels, or 168,000 gallons, of RMG 380 fuel oil. The force of the collision separated the damaged barge from the tow and it began to sink. The Miss Susan crew reattached the barge and grounded it to clear the channel and prevent it from possibly sinking. Oil-spill response organizations arrived with containment equipment within two hours.
Two Miss Susan crewmembers, a deckhand and a tankerman, were treated for inhaling fuel vapour and released from hospital the next morning. Summer Wind sustained an estimated USD 350,000 in bow damage. Kirby 27706 sustained USD 923,748 in damage and Kirby 27705 sustained USD 103,373, for total vessel and barge damage of USD 1,377,121. The NTSB's total estimated damage was nearly USD 1,378,000, excluding oil response and recovery efforts.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2014-03-22 12:21 CDT | Miss Susan reported that it was leaving Texas City bound for Port Bolivar while Summer Wind was inbound. |
| 2014-03-22 12:32 CDT | The Miss Susan captain and Summer Wind pilot began direct VHF communication about the developing close-quarters situation. |
| 2014-03-22 12:32-12:33 CDT | Miss Susan applied hard starboard rudder and began backing; the Summer Wind pilot ordered dead slow and then full-ahead speed. |
| 2014-03-22 12:35 CDT | Summer Wind's bulbous bow struck the starboard side of Kirby 27706. |
| 2014-03-22 | The damaged barge was reattached and grounded while oil-spill containment and recovery operations began. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Attempted crossing ahead of Summer Wind | Confirmed finding | The NTSB identified the Miss Susan captain's attempt to cross ahead of the bulk carrier as the probable cause. |
| Unsafe speed in restricted visibility | Confirmed finding | The NTSB found that the Houston pilot and Summer Wind master did not set a safe speed for the fog and nearby towing traffic. |
| Late communication | Confirmed finding | The Miss Susan captain and Houston pilot did not establish early radio communication despite available radar, AIS, and VHF information. |
| VTS interaction and vessel separation | Confirmed finding | NTSB findings identified ineffective VTS monitoring and the absence of a Coast Guard vessel separation policy for the Bolivar Roads Precautionary Area. |
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the casualty in Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-15/01. It determined that the probable cause was the Miss Susan captain's attempt to cross the Houston Ship Channel ahead of Summer Wind. The report also identified unsafe speed in restricted visibility, late communication between the vessel operators, ineffective VTS interaction, and the lack of a Coast Guard vessel separation policy as contributing factors. It found that the oil-spill response communications and coordination were effective, although the scale and location of the release made containment near the collision site difficult.