NTSB briefing on Seastreak ferry incident investigation

JANUARY 12, 2013 —   At a briefing yesterday, National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said investigators into the hard docking of a Seastreak ferry had a potential breakthrough because they learned the ferry’s engines have a data recording feature they plan to examine.

He also said the ferry’s captain had testified for nearly three hours and told investigators that as the vessel approached the dock, he moved from a central console to one on the starboard, and when he tried to put the ferry in reverse, it didn’t work, Mr. Sumwalt said. He quickly switched back to the center, but reverse didn’t work there either.

“Somewhere during this sequence, both diesel engines shut off,” Mr. Sumwalt said.

Mr. Sumwalt’s complete briefing is in the video.