Conti Peridot / Carla Maersk collision (2015)

Classification

• Incident Type: Collision
• Severity: High
• Vessels involved: Bulk carrier and chemical tanker

Vessel Details

Incident Details

Key facts

• The collision occurred at about 12:30 central daylight time on 9 March 2015.
• Conti Peridot was inbound and Carla Maersk was outbound in the Houston Ship Channel near Morgan's Point.
• Dense fog and hydrodynamic effects after meetings with other vessels made it difficult for the Conti Peridot pilot to control the bulk carrier's heading.
• Conti Peridot struck Carla Maersk's port side, breaching cargo tank no. 4 and damaging other cargo and ballast tanks.
• About 2,100 barrels of methyl tert-butyl ether spilled; no one aboard either vessel was injured.

Narrative

On 9 March 2015, the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Conti Peridot was inbound in the Houston Ship Channel, while the Danish-flagged chemical tanker Carla Maersk was outbound toward the Gulf of Mexico. Both vessels carried a pilot as well as their shipboard bridge teams. Visibility deteriorated as the vessels continued through the channel, and pilot boarding had been suspended for other traffic because of the fog.

After meeting other vessels, the Conti Peridot began to experience pronounced heading fluctuations associated with bank effect and the displaced water behind passing ships. The pilot reported that visibility became effectively zero in places and that he could barely see the bow of his vessel. He struggled to maintain the intended track while the bulk carrier sheered across the channel. The pilot did not adequately communicate the handling difficulty to the master or to the pilots of following outbound vessels. The NTSB also found that the master and pilot did not work together effectively to resolve the developing problem.

At about 12:29, the Conti Peridot pilot warned the Carla Maersk pilot that the bulk carrier was coming across the channel and asked the tanker to move left. The tanker pilot had already committed to a starboard maneuver for the planned port-to-port meeting and could not safely make the requested alteration. Seconds before impact, Conti Peridot began turning to starboard, while Carla Maersk applied hard starboard rudder and full-ahead power in an attempt to clear the approaching bow. The tanker grounded during the collision sequence.

At about 12:30, the bow of Conti Peridot struck the port side of Carla Maersk just forward of midship. The impact breached cargo tank no. 4, damaged cargo tank no. 3 and breached port-side ballast tanks nos. 2 and 3. The bow of Conti Peridot was damaged and its port-side anchor was lost. The vessels separated and anchored nearby. Carla Maersk sustained about USD 5.6 million in damage and Conti Peridot about USD 2.6 million. Approximately 2,100 barrels, or 88,200 gallons, of methyl tert-butyl ether spilled from Carla Maersk. No crew member or pilot aboard either vessel reported an injury.

The NTSB determined that the probable cause was the Conti Peridot pilot's inability to respond appropriately to hydrodynamic forces after meeting another vessel in restricted visibility and his failure to communicate the handling difficulty. Inadequate bridge resource management between the master and pilot contributed. The investigation also identified insufficient pilot communication, ineffective traffic monitoring by VTS Houston/Galveston and the absence of predetermined ship-movement strategies for restricted visibility as safety issues.

Sequence of events

Contributing factors

Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board adopted Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-16/01 on 20 June 2016. It identified the Conti Peridot pilot's handling difficulty and insufficient communication as the probable cause, with inadequate master-pilot bridge resource management contributing. The report made safety recommendations concerning bridge resource management, pilot communications and restricted-visibility strategies in the Houston Ship Channel.

References

• NTSB Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-16/01: Conti Peridot and Carla Maersk collision

Related

• Conti Peridot
• Carla Maersk
• United States
• NTSB
• Collision
• Bridge Resource Management Failure

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