NTSB: Fatigued pilot's misjudgment led to New Orleans wharf strike

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The following is a marine accident brief from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB):

(WASHINGTON) — ​About 0637 on April 6, 2018, while turning around to head downriver with the assistance of three tugboats, the bow of the bulk carrier Shandong Fu En struck Dock 1 of the Ergon-St. James Terminal wharf at mile 160.7 on the Lower Mississippi River during high-water conditions. Shandong Fu En, loaded with coal, had just departed the Convent Marine Terminal wharf, located across the river at mile 160.9. No pollution or injuries were reported, but the vessel and the wharf sustained $6.25 million in damage.

Probable cause

​The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the contact of bulk carrier Shandong Fu En with the Ergon-St. James Terminal wharf was the fatigued pilot’s misjudgment of a downstream turning maneuver during high-water conditions.

Click here to read the complete report.

By Professional Mariner Staff