NTSB reports on $600,000 Great Lakes bulk carrier grounding

American Mariner underway at unknown date before the grounding. (Source: U.S. Coast Guard)

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its report on a January 7, 2023, incident in which the 715-foot long, 1980-built Great Lakes bulk carrier American Mariner grounded on shoals, damaging three ballast water tanks. No pollution or injuries were reported, but damage to the vessel was $600,000.

At about 07.34 local time on the day of the accident, the American Mariner, owned by American Steamship Company and operated by Grand River Navigation, had begun transiting outbound in the Vidal Shoals Channel, near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, en route to Superior, Wis.

According to the NTSB, the master — acting alone on the bridge during complicated maneuvers — overshot a turn and grounded on shoals, damaging the three ballast water tanks.

Other factors compromising the master’s ability to successfully navigate the vessel included transiting in the dark, unlit channel buoys, not using all available features in the electronic chart system and no additional personnel on the bridge.

The NTSB found that the master’s initial angle of departure from the dock and close approach to the shoal water positioned the vessel at a poor angle to successfully maneuver into the channel, which resulted in the vessel overshooting the turn and grounding on the shoals on the opposite side of the channel.

PROBABLE CAUSE

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the grounding of the Great Lakes bulk carrier was the master maneuvering the vessel away from the dock and into the channel while alone on the bridge, which required him to multitask (navigation, steering, and lookout duties) and resulted in the vessel overshooting the turn into the channel and running aground on the shoals on the opposite side of the channel.

LESSONS LEARNED: DETERMINING BRIDGE TEAM STAFFING

While maneuvering in confined waters, it is difficult for a single bridge crewmember to effectively drive, lookout, and monitor and use available bridge equipment. The composition of a bridge team may vary based on the complexity of the maneuver or operation being carried out. Typically, maneuvers like docking or undocking, transiting in or out of port, or operating in areas of high traffic density require additional personnel to handle navigation-related duties. Owners, operators, and vessel masters are responsible for ensuring that bridge teams are staffed with a sufficient number of certified/credentialed mariners who are familiar with all bridge navigation equipment and able to independently take immediate action.

Additionally, the effective use of all available resources by a bridge team, including visual scanning, radars, electronic charts, and an automatic identification system, increases collective situational awareness and contributes to a safe navigation watch.

• As ever, the full NTSB report’s details of the sequence of the events prior to the accident puts all this into a fuller perspective. Download it HERE.