Maritime Injury Lawyer Blog

Parts of the Monongahela and Ohio rivers were closed late last week after a towing vessel allided with a bridge while pushing 12 loaded coal barges, resulting in two of the barges breaking away.

The Coast Guard reported that at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received a report that the towing vessel Marge Mcfarlin, which is owned and operated by Ingram Barge Company, allided with the Liberty Highway Bridge at mile marker 1.1 on the Monongahela River causing two coal barges to break away and snagging a third as they drifted down river.

Continue reading "Tow Strikes Bridge" »

Aboard the Australian operated Oceanic Discoverer, a 34-year-old seaman was killed when he was trapped in a watertight door in 2009.

According to the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, the crew of the cruise ship had been conducting an emergency fire drill included closing and testing hydraulic watertight doors. The master closed the doors using a remote device.  Just a few minutes later, the chief engineer opened the doors to the engine room. He became trapped in the closing doors, and remained there for a full 8 minutes.

Continue reading "Cruise Ship Crewmember Death" »

On Saturday, Dec 17, a barge worker was fatally injured while removing a loaded barge owned by Greater Cincinnati Marine, which was docked at the Black River Mine in Pendleton County. The dead man was identified as Chris Mink, an employee of Greater Cincinnati Marine.

The accident was reported at about 2 p.m. but the exact time of the accident is approximated to have occurred in the early afternoon, according to Kevin Whyte, vice president, general counsel for Carmeuse Lime and Stone, owner of Black River facility.

Continue reading "Barge Worker Killed" »

Colleen Bowen, 48, a worker on a barge owned and operated by Western Contracting of Sioux City, Iowa, was sucked into the engine of a Missouri River tugboat last Thursday night on Dec. 8. The accident left Bowen in a medically induced coma at Creighton University Medical Center.

Investigators told the media that Bowen was shutting off the engine of the tugboat around 5 p.m. when some of her clothing was caught in the machinery.

Bowen suffered critical injuries to her, spine, jaw, lungs, ribs and legs. Bowen's family also said she has severe burns and abrasions to her stomach, legs and chest.

Continue reading "Female Barge Worker Critically Injured" »

A collision involving 2 tankers in the Houston Ship Channel has led to an indefinite shutdown of the port. The collision apparently occurred during a heavy fog, and involved the 50,000-pound tanker Charleston and the 600-foot long cargo vessel Harvest Sun. The tanker vessel was apparently headed northward to Houston, while the cargo vessel was headed southbound from Houston.

According to the Coast Guard, the tanker and the cargo vessel collided at about 8am near the Texas City Dike. There were no injuries in the accident. No fires or explosions were reported, and so far, there have been no reports of any oil or chemical spillage during the accident. The tank was carrying the acetone.

A barge worker was injured in an accident when a 900,000-pound cylinder being transported on the barge, fell into the water.

The cylinder was being taken to BPs Cherry Point Refinery. The barge was about 500 yards offshore when the accident occurred. The cylinder measures about 130 feet long and 12 feet wide. As it was being transported, it rolled and plunged off the barge and into the water.

Continue reading "Worker Injured in Barge Failure" »

23-year-old Chinese crewman aboard the Panamanian-flagged 958-foot Shagangfirst Power was taken ill, suffering from abdominal pain on November 21. Shagangfirst Power was 72 miles off Cold Bay at the time of their distress call to the Coast Guard. The crewman was medevaced by MH-65 Dolphin helicopter launched from the Coast Guard Cutter Sherman, to receive emergency medical treatment in Cold Bay.

Early morning on November 26, four coal barges broke loose from American Electric Power's M/V Buckeye State. One barge struck the pier as reported by Lt. Jason Coffey with the U.S. Coast Guard stationed in Huntington. The Coast Guard is still conducting its investigation.

The M/V Buckeye State is one of AEP's fleet of larger vessels.
No cargo was lost therefore no cleanup was required. According to Coffey as of Monday afternoon, Nov 28, the barge was still docked along the West Virginia side of the riverbank near the bridge.

Continue reading "Barge Incident Under Investigation" »

Three sailors died and eight others are missing after a Turkish trade ship collided with a passenger ferry and sank in the Adriatic.

Sailing under a Maltese flag and loaded with aluminum, the 3,000-ton Reina 1, whose owner and crew were Turkish, sank immediately after the collision with the car ferry Ankara in international waters, said police spokeswoman Ornela Cako. The crash happened at around 2 a.m. (23:00 GMT) on Thursday some 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the Albanian port of Durres.

Continue reading "3 Sailors Dead, 8 Missing" »

According to Indiana conservation officers, James Gamblin, 43, of Paducah, Ky. working on the Ganis R. Brewer Barge, Monday night, Nov 21, when the barge hit the wall of an Ohio River lock and he fell into the water and died.

News25ABC reports:
The impact caused the vessel's barges to separate and Gamblin fell into the river about midway between Evansville and Louisville, KY.
Gamblin was wearing a life jacket and his body was found in a debris pile near the locks.
An autopsy is planned to determine whether he died of injuries from the fall or drowned.

Former tugboat pilot Matthew Devlin of Catskill, N.Y, was sentenced Tuesday, Nov 1, to a year and a day in prison for the fatal river crash in Philadelphia last year that killed two Hungarian students 16-year-old Dora Schwendtner and 20-year-old Szabolcs Prem.

The fatal collision occurred on July 7, 2010 when Devlin, who was distracted by cellphone calls due to a family emergency, pushed a huge barge through a busy shipping channel on the Delaware River running over a stalled duck boat, sinking the tour boat and throwing 37 people into the river.

Continue reading "Pilot Sentenced to Prison" »

A cargo ship, the Liberian- flagged Rena ran aground on October 5, about 14 miles offshore causing a massive environmental spill. Oil has already begun washing up on the beaches of Tauranga.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by the rough weather.  So far, less than 85 tons of oil have been removed from the cargo ship, which is listing dangerously.  An estimated 1400 tons of oil still remains on board.  Closer to 350 tons of oil have been leaked into the water.  The chances of the vessel breaking apart and dislodging itself from the reef are high.

Continue reading "Cargo Ship Crew Charged in Grounding" »

Four were rescued after their tugboat capsized in the Hudson River last week. The four included three crewmembers and the captain.

According to the New York City Fire Department, the four crewmembers were injured in the accident. Three of them were treated at the scene, and one was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Three sailors are died and eight are missing after a Turkish ship collided with a passenger ferry and sank in the Adriatic, Albanian port authorities said on Thursday.

Sailing under a Maltese flag and loaded with aluminum, the 3,000-ton Reina 1, whose owner and crew were Turkish, sank immediately after the collision with the car ferry Ankara in international waters. The collision occurred around 2 a.m. 20 miles from the Albanian port of Durres.

Continue reading "11 Turkish sailors dead or missing" »

Fire broke out in the engine room of a tugboat Late Monday afternoon, Oct 10, on the shores of Dickinson Bayou in San Leon, TX. Two volunteer firefighters escaped serious injury when the fire flashed over them while battling the blaze.

According to Assistant Fire Chief Scott Lyons, The San Leon Volunteer Fire Department was called to the fire at the Robinson Docks on 27th Street at about 5:30 p.m.

Continue reading "Tugboat Fire Breaks Out" »