Fatigue Led to Sinking of Fishing Vessel in Alaska
A captain’s decision to get under way while fatigued led to the grounding and sinking of a fishing vessel near Whittier, Alaska, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in Marine Investigation Report released Tuesday.On July 24, 2021, the fishing vessel Tenacious, which fished primarily for pink salmon, grounded at the entrance to Wells Passage while transiting to fishing grounds in Prince William Sound. The five crewmembers abandoned the vessel and were rescued. The Tenacious later sank. One minor injury was reported.
Turrell Named Director of NTSB Office of Marine Safety
Longtime mariner and investigator Morgan Turrell has been named director of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Office of Marine Safety effective March 1.The office investigates major marine accidents within the United States and its territories, as well as accidents involving U.S.-flagged vessels worldwide.Turrell began his career at the NTSB in 2003 as a nautical operations investigator. From 2007 to 2010 he served as Vice President of Marine Investigations for Princess Cruises, where he investigated casualties aboard ships worldwide.
NTSB Investigates Gasline Explosion
A tugboat and barge caught on fire here Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006, after reportedly striking a natural gas pipeline. Photograph courtesy of Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans The National Transportation Safety Board has sent a team of five investigators to the scene of a fire involving a towboat with two barges and a natural gas pipeline in West Cote Blanche Bay near Morgan City, LA. The accident occurred on October 12, when a piling dropped from one of the barges and struck a submerged high-pressure gas line, causing the line to rupture and catch fire. Preliminary information is that three people were killed and three are missing. This will be a joint investigation with the U.S. Coast Guard. The NTSB Investigator-in-Charge is Morgan Turrell.
