MSC AQUARIUS

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Report in collision published

Excessive speed during an advanced assistance maneuver led to the collision of the 'George M' with the container ship 'MSC Aquarius' in the Houston Ship Channel on April 14, 2023, the National Transportation Safety Board found out in a report. The accident happened while the tug was positioning for the assist maneuver, and the container ship was transiting north in the Houston Ship Channel. About 1,000 gallons of gear oil were released from the damaged George M’s port propulsion unit. Damages to both vessels totaled more than $900,000. The 'George M' was assigned the “center lead forward” position on the bow of the container ship. To make up to the bow of the 'MSC Aquarius', the tug had to maneuver into a position ahead of the container ship, bow-to-bow. The mate on the 'George M' was operating the tug at the time of the collision. It was the mate’s first rotation on board the George M’s class of vessel. In maneuvering the 'George M' to the center forward position, the mate approached the container ship as it was transiting at 9.7 knots. While attempting to connect its line to the container ship, the tug moved out of centerline. The mate attempted to maneuver the tug back to the centerline but was unable to regain position. The mate’s attempt resulted in two collisions between the vessels. The mate could have requested the pilot of the 'MSC Aquarius' to slow, but the mate did not communicate with the pilot after being assigned to the center lead forward position. The pilot was unaware of the status of the tugboat or the need to slow. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the collision was the mate’s attempt to make up bow-to-bow while the tug and container ship transited at a speed that was excessive for the advanced harbor-assist maneuver. Contributing to the collision was the mate’s lack of experience operating the tugboat. Full report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2315.pdf

NTSB report: Excessive speed caused collision

Excessive speed during an advanced assist maneuver led to the collision of the 'George M' with the container ship 'MSC Aquarius' in the Houston Ship Channel on April 14, 2022, the National Transportation Safety Board said on July 26, 2023, while the tug was positioning itself to assist the container ship which was transiting north. About 1,000 gallons of gear oil were released from the damaged port propulsion unit of the tug. Damages to both vessels totaled more than $900,000. The 'George M' was working with another tug to dock the 'MSC Aquarius' at the terminal. The 'George M' was assigned the center lead forward position on the bow of the container ship. To make up to the bow of the 'MSC Aquarius', she had to maneuver into a position ahead of the container ship, bow-to-bow. The mate on the 'George M' was operating the tug at the time of the collision. It was the mate’s first rotation on board a tug of this class. In maneuvering the 'George M' to the center forward position, the mate approached the'MSC Aquarius' as it was transiting at 9,7 knots. While attempting to connect its line to the container ship, the tug moved out of the centerline. The mate attempted to maneuver it back to the centerline, but was unable to regain position. The mate’s attempt resulted in two collisions between the vessels. The mate could have requested the pilot of the 'MSC Aquarius' to slow, but he did not communicate with him after being assigned to the center lead forward position. The pilot was unaware of the status of the tug or the need to slow. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the collision was the mate’s attempt to make up bow-to-bow while the tug and container ship transited at a speed that was excessive for the advanced assist maneuver.

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