NTSB: Overwhelming Towline Force Caused Loss of Towboat in Severe Storm

 

The NTSB concluded that the loss of a towboat off the Louisiana coast in May 2024 was due to the vessel being overwhelmed during a sudden, severe storm. While the crew of the towing vessel Baylor J, Tregre was unable to maneuver in an attempt to save the vessel due to overwhelming towline force, the report also highlights the lack of an emergency release and some issues with the vessel that might have accelerated its loss.

The towboat, which was built in 1997 and 67 feet long, was towing a 260-foot long barge loaded with a production platform and helideck bound for an offshore site. They had departed Houma, Louisiana, but due to the height of the platform were required to sail offshore instead of the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway.

It was midday on May 13 with the vessel approximately 60 miles from its destination. The weather was good with 3 to 4-foot seas and wind of 9 to 13 knots. The crew had checked weather reports and was receiving information from its shoreside office. They had a report of possible thunderstorms. The tow was traveling and 4 to 5 knots.

The mate was navigating when he observed a storm forming and made changes to the course but the line of thunderstorms appeared to shift to a circle and the wind began to intensify “at a very quick rate.” It was possibly hailing but they never determined if a waterspout had formed. The captain and mate later estimated for investigators that the winds could have been 85 to 100 mph (74 to 87 knots).

The vessel was losing speed and had started to heel. The mate was attempting to reposition the vessel but as the situation quickly deteriorated the vessel was heeling at 45 degrees. They had lost sight of the barge in the storm but it had moved alongside the towboat with the crew later reporting the line was taught “like a banjo string.” The captain ordered the mate to turn the barge loose. He attempted but reported to the captain it was impossible. The NTSB highlights in the report that the vessel did not have an emergency release and none is required under the regulations. Even if the mate had been able to reach the controls in the doghouse, it required the winch engine to be running, which it was not.

The captain was attempting to change the heading but by then the port quarter of the towboat was underwater. They believed the starboard rudder and propeller were out of the water. They made a distress call and moments later the vessel lost electrical power and the engines stopped running. Seas were now 6 to 7 feet.

The crew had to climb out of the tilted wheelhouse and one deckhand fell into the water. The others had to follow as the vessel sank. The self-deploying liferaft worked and they were eventually able to make it to the raft. The emergency beacon was also located and the Coast Guard was able to rescue the four crewmembers, although one suffered minor injuries.

When the towboat was recovered, the NTSB reports some of the fiddley blowers on the second deck were missing and might have contributed to the flooding. Also, some of the sealing gaskets were found deteriorated on the exterior doors.

The casualty, which resulted in $2 million in damages, they attributed to the overwhelming towline forces during the storm and the inability to complete an emergency release of the barge. The heeling became unrecoverable for the vessel.