BOATS & GEAR Safety Training
Safe and Sound A strong safety culture will prevent most vessel accidents.
ABS
The MITAGS wheelhouse simulator in Baltimore.
MITAGS
The MITAGS wheelhouse simulator in Baltimore.
By Michael Crowley, Correspondent
M
ost workboat accidents are preventable. Not willing to replace old equipment, an unwillingness to acknowledge that, yes, boats deteriorate and its crew might not always be paying attention to what’s happening around them or know what to do when an incident takes place, all contribute to accidents that should not have happened. These needless accidents can be financially costly and result in injuries or death. A wise option for operators is to invest time and money on safety measures that should be built into a boat before it leaves the dock and crew training that promotes a strong safety culture. A good source for what can happen when the safety angle plays a secondary role is the National Transportation
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Safety Board’s Safer Seas Digest that examines significant marine accidents and then makes safety recommendations in the hopes of reducing future accidents. Take the case of the Andrew Cargill MacMillan that was featured in the Safer Seas Digest 2019. The 176'×54’ towing vessel was pushing a tow of 42 loaded barges southbound on the Lower Mississippi River on Oct. 23, 2018. The pilot relied solely on visual references while traveling at about 9.5 mph near mile 445, then lost sight of a buoy, oversteered and quickly lost control of the tow, causing the lead barges to contact the Farmers Grain Terminal conveyor. The probable cause of the tow collision with the conveyor and breasting dolphins was the pilot’s overreliance on looking for floating aids to navigation, even though equipment was available that would have aided in crosswww.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2022 • WorkBoat
