WSF CATHLAMET

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Report: Microsleep caused allision

The master of the 'Cathlamet' likely fell asleep at the helm before the vessel crashed on July 28, 2022, near Fauntleroy, causing $6.7 million in damage, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board, which was released on Oct 12, 2023. The master said he had been functioning on five to six hours of sleep a night as he dealt with the declining health of a family membe. In both his account and that of the quartermaster in the deck with him, he seemed to have dozed off while operating the ship and was unaware what happened after the crash. The report did not allege the master had violated policy by sleeping fewer than seven hours but said doing so, especially over several nights, made him more vulnerable to fatigue and drifting off. The master, who had been with WSF since 1985 and reached his master status in 2007, retired the day after the crash. He did not follow normal protocols for docking, including slowing the vessel, radioing the terminal, blowing the whistle or informing passengers. Following the crash, the quartermaster reported him saying, “What happened?” “These events are all consistent with incapacitation from a microsleep,” the report found, concluding, “the master likely experienced a microsleep due to fatigue.” NTSB investigators also cited complacency on the part of the crew. At the time of the crash, the quartermaster was reading a company memo when he should have been watching more closely over the shoulder of the master. Without his eyes, the ferry was vulnerable to a single point of failure, which came when the master likely dozed off. “As the Cathlamet approached the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal, the quartermaster did not actively monitor the master as the ferry approached the dock, as required by company policy, when he could have quickly taken the helm if the master became incapacitated,” the report found. The ferry did not appear to have any mechanical issues. When a new crew took over after the crash, the propulsion and steering were all in working order. The investigators also concluded that no alcohol or drugs were involved, and the master had not been using a cellphone. The ferry was sailing the so-called triangle route between Fauntleroy, Vashon Island and Southworth and left Vashon heading toward Fauntleroy around 8 a.m. The master had been on board since 3:45 a.m., walking around the ship and checking things out, before relieving the chief mate and heading to the deck around 7:30 a.m. The quartermaster had been at the ferry’s helm until the master took the wheel around 8:10 a.m. Initially, the approach to West Seattle appeared normal. The master phoned down to the engine room, instructing the engineers to prepare to turn. After that, however, no other commands came from the deck. The master told investigators he took over the helm and then, “The next thing I know I hit, I hit the dolphin. That’s all I know.” One passenger who had been standing on the deck saw the ferry approaching the dolphin, understood it was about to crash and moved away from the front of the vessel. When the allision occurred, the area where he had been standing collapsed. He held onto a railing to stop himself from falling onto the damaged deck below. The NTSB report reached conclusions similar to those in an internal investigation released by the Washington State Ferries, although the state’s analysis stopped short of offering a reason for why the master lost awareness.

Report: Captain lost awareness ahead of allision

Washington State Ferries has concluded that a captain’s loss of situational awareness,” and not any mechanical failures, caused the 'Cathlamet' to veer off course and crash into dolphins near the Fauntleroy dock on July 28, 2022. Portions of the upper car and passenger decks crumpled on impact, causing $7.7 million in damages. The 'Cathlamet' was out of service for eight months. The captain resigned one day after the accident after a long career in which he started as a deckhand in 1985. The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board are still probing the incident. The names of all crew were redacted in the 17-page state report released on March 30, 2023. As the incident unfolded during the trip from Vashon Island to West Seattle, the captain was at the helm of the ferry, as is expected within a half-mile of reaching the Fauntleroy terminal. Colleagues said he preferred to approach Fauntleroy from the south and maneuver slightly north into the berth- Diagrams in the report show the vessel stayed south, and did not slow, until it stuck the south dolphin at 8:14 a.m. at a speed of 15 knots. WSF could not pinpoint why the captain lost awareness, because he declined to answer questions on the advice of his attorney. Testings found no sign of drug or alcohol use. After the impact a watch captain, who happened to be in a stateroom, went forward into the wheelhouse, took the controls, reversed the ferry away from the beach and took it to the dock. One passenger suffered minor injuries and one vehicle was damaged. The ship was fully staffed with Coast Guard-qualified deckhands and navigating officers. However, a quartermaster was distracted from lookout duty while reading an agency report about the Clinton-to-Mukilteo route. The state agency also reported that its training for deck officers meets domestic requirements but falls short of international standards for oceangoing ships, which emphasize the navigators’ exact roles and responsibilities, along with extensive safety drills. This higher standard was discontinued in 2012 to save money but will be reinstated in summer 2023.

Repairs of allision damage completed

The 'Cathlamet', which had allided with a dolphin piling upon the arrival at the Fauntleroy Terminal in Seattle on July 2022 and got major damage at port side, completed its repairs on March 2, 2023, at the Everett Ship Repair (ESR) along with the subcontracted sister-company Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) to construct a new steel pickle fork at its facility on Whidbey Island. First, the vessel was inspected, followed by engineering and design for the affected areas and new-fabricated modules. Upon design completion, the pickle fork module was erected at NBBB and loaded onto a barge and transferred to ESR to install and paint on board the drydocked vessel. Under-waterline work was also performed. With the repair job completed, the 'Cathlamet' was towed back to Eagle Harbor and will soon return to service.