Caribbean Sea and DUKW 34 collision | Novatug Maritime Wiki

Classification

Incident Type: Collision
Severity: High
Vessels involved: Tug, tank barge and amphibious passenger vehicle

Vessel Details

Vessel	Type	Source-grounded details
Caribbean Sea	Tug	78.9 ft (approximately 24.0 m); 148 gross tons; built in 1961; owned and operated by K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P.
The Resource	Tank barge	Empty 250 ft sludge barge in a starboard hip tow; owned by the City of Philadelphia; unmanned and non-self-propelled.
DUKW 34	Amphibious passenger vehicle	33 ft long and 8 ft wide; operated by Ride The Ducks International; carrying 35 passengers and 2 crewmembers.

Incident Details

Field	Value
Date	2010-07-07
Location	Delaware River, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Region	United States
Coordinates	39.9529, -75.1344
Fatalities	2
Injuries	27
Missing	0
Direct Damage	USD 130,470 to DUKW 34; minor unrepaired coating scrapes to The Resource; no damage to Caribbean Sea

Key facts

DUKW 34 entered the river at about 14:15 with 35 passengers and 2 crewmembers.
Its master stopped the vehicle after seeing what he believed was smoke from the engine compartment. The NTSB later attributed the steam to a missing surge-tank pressure cap.
DUKW 34 anchored about 320 feet from the Penn's Landing bulkhead, nearly in the center of the navigation channel.
The Resource struck DUKW 34 at 14:37:23. About ten seconds later, DUKW 34 rolled onto its starboard side and was pushed underwater.
Thirty-five people survived; two passengers died and their bodies were recovered on 9 July. DUKW 34 was raised the same day.

Narrative

At about 14:15 on 7 July 2010, DUKW 34 entered the Delaware River at Philadelphia for the waterborne part of a Ride The Ducks tour. It carried 35 passengers and a two-person crew. After reversing course for the return trip, the master smelled an odor and saw what he believed was smoke from the starboard engine-compartment vent. He shut down the engine, secured the fuel and battery systems, closed the fire dampers and requested assistance through company communications. The NTSB later found that the apparent smoke was steam associated with a missing surge-tank pressure cap.

Another amphibious vehicle, DUKW 44, briefly approached DUKW 34. The DUKW 34 master then ordered the deckhand to deploy the anchor. By about 14:33, the vehicle had anchored in the navigation channel, about 320 feet from the Penn's Landing bulkhead and nearly in the center of the channel. The master and deckhand saw the northbound tug and barge approaching. Recorded VHF traffic beginning at about 14:36 captured repeated calls from DUKW 34 reporting that it was broken down and unable to maneuver, but the recording captured no response from Caribbean Sea.

Caribbean Sea was navigating northbound with the empty 250-foot sludge barge The Resource in a starboard hip tow. The tug's mate was responsible for navigation while operating from the lower wheelhouse. The NTSB found that he failed to maintain a proper lookout and was distracted by repeated personal cell-phone use and company laptop use. The tug and barge were traveling at about 6 knots near the center of the river's navigation channel.

At 14:37:23, the bow of The Resource struck the stern of DUKW 34. Ten seconds later, the amphibious vehicle rolled onto its starboard side and was pushed completely underwater. The deckhand had jumped from the bow before impact; the passengers had not evacuated. Thirty-five people were recovered by rescue vessels or reached shore, while two passengers drowned. Twenty-six passengers and one crewmember reported minor injuries. DUKW 34 sank in about 55 feet of water and was raised on 9 July. Its damage totaled USD 130,470. The Resource sustained minor coating scrapes at its bow, and Caribbean Sea was not damaged.

Sequence of events

Date/time	Event
2010-07-07 14:15	DUKW 34 entered the Delaware River with 35 passengers and 2 crewmembers.
2010-07-07 about 14:29	The DUKW 34 deckhand deployed the anchor after the vehicle was stopped.
2010-07-07 about 14:33	DUKW 34 anchored in the navigation channel near Penn's Landing.
2010-07-07 about 14:36	DUKW 34 began calling the approaching northbound tug on VHF.
2010-07-07 14:37:23	The Resource struck the stern of DUKW 34.
2010-07-07 14:37:33	DUKW 34 rolled onto its starboard side and was pushed underwater.
2010-07-09	The two fatalities' bodies were recovered and DUKW 34 was raised from the river.

Contributing factors

Factor	Evidence status	Description
Caribbean Sea mate's lookout failure	Confirmed finding	The mate operated from the lower wheelhouse and did not maintain a proper lookout while solely responsible for navigation.
Wireless-device distraction	Confirmed finding	Repeated personal cell-phone use and company laptop use distracted the mate during the navigation watch.
DUKW 34 maintenance failure	Confirmed finding	Ride The Ducks maintenance personnel did not ensure that the surge-tank pressure cap was secure before returning the vehicle to passenger service.
Anchoring in an active channel	Confirmed finding	The DUKW 34 master did not take actions appropriate to the risk of anchoring the disabled vehicle in an active navigation channel.

Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the casualty in Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-11/02. It determined that the probable cause was the Caribbean Sea mate's failure to maintain a proper lookout because of his lower-wheelhouse position and distraction from personal wireless-device and laptop use. The NTSB identified the DUKW 34 maintenance failure and the master's response to the risk of anchoring in the active channel as contributing factors. The report also addressed emergency communication, lifesaving equipment and passenger evacuation.

References

NTSB Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-11/02