Americas News
NTSB Blames Tugboat for 2014 Ship Channel Collision and Bunker Spill
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says the probable cause of a March 2014 collision in the Houston Ship Channel was the M/V Miss Susan tugboat captain's attempt to cross the channel ahead of the cargo ship that it ultimately collided with, the M/V Summer Wind, CNBC reports.
The NTSB also said the failures of a ship channel navigator and the Summer Wind master to set a safe speed in the "fog-shrouded" channel were also contributing factors to the accident, as was the failure of the tugboat captain and navigator to establish early radio communication.
The collision resulted in the spill of 168,000 gallons of product from a fuel oil barge being towed by the tugboat, which then drifted an estimated 200 miles down the Texas Gulf coast.
A month after the collision, it was reported that Kirby Inland Marine (Kirby) had accused the Summer Wind of speeding and reckless operation.
