The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a report regarding the grounding of the barge Tom Frazier on February 10, 2024, near Portsmouth, Ohio. The vessel hit submerged stone structures while navigating upriver, resulting in significant damage and flooding of various compartments, totaling repairs exceeding $250,000.
Investigators revealed that the captain of Tom Frazier was maneuvering the barge towards the port side to avoid another tow, Debi Sharp, which was hauling 25 loaded barges. The NTSB noted that the maneuver occurred outside safe navigational boundaries and too close to submerged obstacles marked on electronic charts, which the captain failed to identify as hazards.
The accident led to the vessel developing a significant list as the engine compartment filled with water. Fortunately, all nine crew members were safely evacuated by local responders and crew from nearby vessels. Although Tom Frazier contained a considerable amount of diesel fuel, environmental impacts were limited to about five gallons of oil released during the incident. The barge remained grounded for three days until conditions allowed for its recovery on February 13.
For further details, the complete NTSB report is available on their website.
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