Bridge Allision

Study Conducted After Fatal Bridge Accidents Yields Five-Point Action Plan

The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association for the American tugboat, towboat and barge industry, and the U.S. Coast Guard, have jointly released a study of barge/bridge allisions spanning ten years. Undertaken as part of the Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership, the study was conducted by the Coast Guard- AWO Bridge Allision Work Group, established last summer in the aftermath of fatal bargebridge accidents at South Padre Island, Texas in September 2001 and Webbers Falls, Oklahoma in May 2002. Based upon the findings, the Work Group report identified a fivepoint action plan to prevent bridge allisions and minimize the consequences of those that do occur. The Work Group examined ten years of accident data from the Coast Guard marine casualty database on all bridge allisions involving barges and towing vessels from January 1, 1992, to December 31, 2001. Because the Texas and Oklahoma accidents are still under investigation, the Work Group did not attempt to draw conclusions about the causes of those particular incidents. When those investigation results are released, the Coast Guard and AWO will review the findings and identify any other measures that may need to be taken to reduce any risk to the public of allisions between bridges and towing vessels. Key findings of the Work Group include: n Bridge allisions involving towing vessels occur at the rate of about six allisions per 10,000 towing vessel trips.

Electronic Navigation and Causation

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that failure to train a master on how to properly use electronic navigation equipment does not make the vessel owner fully liable for an allision nor does it prevent the vessel owner from limiting its liability when there is insufficient evidence to prove that such failure to train was the cause of the allision. In the instant case, defendant’s fishing vessel allided with plaintiff’s offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico

To Report or Not to Report - That Should Never be the Question

In the realm of marine casualties and incidents, each case has its own set of facts, cast of mariners and vessels involved and, frequently, sharp differences of opinion regarding same.  The one common denominator of most marine casualties, however, is the requirement to report them to the U.S. Coast Guard (U.S.C.G.). While what defines a marine casualty is often in the eyes of the beholder/mariner, it is much more prudent to err on the side of caution and, when in doubt

Obstructive Bridges and the Pennsylvania and Oregon Rules

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that a finding by the U.S. Coast Guard that a bridge over a navigable waterway constitutes an unreasonable obstruction to navigation does not invoke the Pennsylvania Rule and does not, on its own, rebut the Oregon Rule. In the instant case, defendant's towboat and barges allided with plaintiff's bridge. Some months previously, the Coast Guard had issued an Order to Alter the bridge

Tankship Scrapes By Bay Bridge, San Francisco

The Coast Guard is investigating the incident where the tankshilp reported to the USCG it had allided with Tower Six of the bridge. The 752-foot Marshall Island’s-registered tanker Overseas Reymar reported to the Coast Guard at approximately 11:20 a.m. that it had allided with tower six of the Bay Bridge in the San Francisco Bay. The vessel was immediately directed to an anchorage area just west of Alcatraz Island by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port

Cummings Convenes Hearing on Inspector General’s Report Concerning COSCO BUSAN

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings convened the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation to receive a report developed by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on the circumstances surrounding the allision of the COSCO BUSAN with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on November 7, 2007.  This report was originally requested by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi

Guilty Plea in Case of Cosco Busan Ship Pilot

John Joseph Cota, a California ship pilot, pleaded guilty on March 6 to negligently causing the discharge of approximately 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay in violation of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, a law enacted in the wake of the Exxon Valdez disaster. Cota, who piloted the M/V Cosco Busan when it hit the San Francisco Bay Bridge on Nov. 7, 2007, also pleaded guilty to violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for the death of protected migratory birds.

USCG Terminates Bridge Project Permit

The U.S. Coast Guard issued a letter March 2 to the Detroit International Bridge Company terminating the Coast Guard Bridge Permit application process for the Ambassador Bridge Enhancement Project in Detroit, Mich. Termination of the bridge permit application process includes all final agency decisions regarding the National Environmental Policy Act environmental analysis process and the Coast Guard Bridge Permit itself.

Ulstein Bridge Vision Debuts

With the internal mandate to create better, safer and simpler solutions for ships’ crews, Ulstein introduces its patent-pending Ulstein Bridge Vision – a concept that promises major improvements for the operational centers of vessels. Ulstein Bridge Vision offers a catalog of innovations, including: -    Gesture-controlled infographics displayed on bridge windows; -    a system that automatically adapts to the individual user’s preferred

Container Cranes Pass Under Bridge with Feet to Spare

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Port of Los Angeles. Two new container cranes from Japan were delivered Thursday evening to the Port of Los Angeles and carefully navigated under the Vincent Thomas Bridge on the way to the TraPac terminal. The cranes came within five feet of the bridge's undercarriage but passed under without incident as television helicopters and film crews captured the scene. This delivery, precisely timed for the lowest tide possible