NTSB: Experienced Captain Caused Towboat Grounding on Ohio River
The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that a grounding on the Ohio River last year occurred because an experienced captain made a navigational error.
On February 10, the towboat Tom Frazier was under way on the Ohio, upbound with 15 empty hopper barges. The light barges were drawing about two feet of water, while the Frazier herself was drawing about 11 feet.
At about 1838 hours, the Frazier passed under the Carl D. Perkins Bridge, then the U.S. Grant Bridge, two back-to-back spans over the Ohio at the town of Portsmouth. The towboat Debi Sharp was downbound on the river about 1.5 miles away, and was pushing 25 barges. As the downbound boat, Debi Sharp had right of way, and the captain of the Frazier made arrangements to meet her starboard-to-starboard and get out of her way. The Sharp had a following current and a heavier tow, and had to line up to pass under the two bridges.
In accordance with the passing arrangements, Frazier's master - an experienced mariner with 23 years in the industry - navigated closer to the right descending bank as the towboats neared each other. At this location, two stone jetties protrude out from the bank on either side of a boat ramp, protecting the ramp structure. They were charted and marked on the towboat's ECS, but the water level was high enough that the jetties were submerged. While moving to give Sharp space to maneuver, the master navigated the barge tow over top of the jetties without making contact. However, the towboat's own draft was too deep to pass over, and at 1855, the Tom Frazier's hull grounded on one of the jetties. The rocks penetrated the hull, flooding a forward compartment.
Courtesy NTSB
As water poured in, Tom Frazier began to take on a starboard list, and the engine room flooded as well. With help from local first responders, the nine crewmembers from Tom Frazier abandoned ship and made it safely to shore.
A second towboat took over the barge tow and moved it safely to a fleeting area. Salvors went to work on refloating the Frazier and removed it on February 13, assisted by rising waters.
The cost to repair the damage from the grounding - including hull plating and framing - came to about $260,000. Only minimal pollution was reported, and no one was injured.
"The probable cause of the grounding of the towing vessel Tom Frazier on submerged jetties was the captain maneuvering his tow too close to the bank in order to avoid a downbound tow, and not identifying the hazard posed by the charted jetties," NTSB concluded.