Protecting Your Right to a ‘Bon Voyage’
The National Transportation Safety Board’s Earl F. Weener responds to our March 2014 MarineNews BY THE NUMBERS feature, entitled “Passenger Vessel Safety Record Defies NTSB Hit List.” The NTSB Board Member takes issue with the inference that their scrutiny of the record of passenger vessel safety is misplaced and should be better directed elsewhere. Naturally, we still think otherwise. Each year, the NTSB issues a Most Wanted List of safety advocacy priorities. This year, one of the top priorities is to advance passenger vessel safety. Why? Because when people step onto a ferry, sightseeing boat, or cruise ship, they have a right to a ‘bon voyage’ — literally, a “good trip” and figuratively, a “safe trip” — whether in their daily commutes or on a family cruise.
Staten Island Ferry Strikes St. George Terminal
A team of Coast Guard investigators and inspectors was on scene at the Staten Island Ferry terminal after a ferry struck the pier around 9:30 a.m. on May 8. The ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi reportedly lost propulsion and struck the pier, resulting in serious damage to the facility's ramps and the main decks of the boat above the waterline. There were 252 passengers and 18 crew members onboard at the time of incident. There have been reports of minor injuries. There have been no reports of pollution. A rescue boat crew from Coast Guard Station New York was also on scene after the incident. The New York Port Authority prepared to move the ferry to a different slip while the investigation is being conducted.
NY Waterway Christens New Ferry
Gloria Bennis, wife of the late Coast Guard Admiral Richard E. Bennis, USCG Captain Craig Bone and NY Waterway President Arthur E. Imperatore, Jr., christen The Admiral Richard E. Bennis, NY Waterway’s newest high-speed ferry, tomorrow at the Coast Guard Building next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. After the traditional champagne christening, Mrs. Bennis will take the helm of the new ferry for a 10-minute cruise past the Statue of Liberty, returning to the American Park Restaurant for a short speaking program and lunch. Admiral Bennis, the former Coast Guard Captain of the Port of New York/New Jersey, directed the largest waterborne evacuation in history on September 11, 2001. The ferry also pays tribute to all the men and women of the Coast Guard.
Safety Board Determines Cause of SI Ferry Accident
The National Transportation Safety Board today determined that the probable cause of a fatal accident involving a Staten Island ferry was the assistant captain's unexplained incapacitation and the failure of the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) to implement and oversee safe, effective operating procedures for its ferries. On October 15, 2003, the Staten Island ferry Andrew J. Barberi, owned and operated by the NYC DOT, was at the end of a regularly scheduled trip from Manhattan to Staten Island when it struck a maintenance pier at the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Fifteen crewmembers and an estimated 1,500 passengers were on board. Ten passengers died in the accident and 70 were injured.
