Cell phone use and fatigue: $810K tow strike on moored barges

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its report on an April 17, 2024 incident involving the 170-foot American Commercial Barge Line towboat William B Klunk. As in many other reports involving all types of vessel, cell phone use was implicated as a cause. The towbnoat was pushing 22 loaded hopper when the tow struck moored barges at a fleeting area near Baton Rouge. Thirteen barges broke away from the William B Klunk tow and three barges broke away from the fleeting area, resulting in damage to the barges, a fleet crew boat and two mooring dolphins. The collision resulted in one minor injury and estimated damages of $810,000.

You have to read the full NTSB report (link at end of story} to get a better understanding of the eventprior to the strike, but the summary released by the agency says:

“The pilot reported using his personal cell phone during the transit. In the almost six minutes leading up to the collision, the pilot did not make any rudder or throttle adjustments as the tow moved toward the fleeting area. The onboard image recorder system footage showed the pilot using his personal cell phone and not monitoring the tow’s position 40 seconds before the collision.”

“While navigating the tow for about 1.5 hours before the collision, the pilot engaged in nonoperational, secondary tasks, including taking an administrative phone call from the company’s safety officer, making a personal phone call and sending text messages.”

“Use of cell phones, including company cell phones (particularly for nonoperational conversations), should never interfere with a watchstander’s primary task to safely navigate a vessel and maintain a proper lookout,” the report said. “To reduce the risk of cell phone distraction, operating companies should establish protocols regarding both personal and work-related cell phone use, and vessel personnel should understand the importance in following them.”

Investigators determined the pilot’s fatigue due to limited sleep the night before contributed to the collision. The pilot received about four hours of continuous sleep in the 36 hours before the collision. The pilot’s fatigue was due to him being up nearly 18 hours at the time of the collision.

“The risk of distraction increases when an individual is fatigued,” the report said. “Fatigue’s impacts to attention, vigilance, and multi-tasking can increase the likelihood that an individual will disengage from their primary task and become distracted by a secondary task.”

• Download the full report HERE