NTSB Investigation Reveals Key Failures for Cargo Ship Grounding in Caribbean

A recent incident involving the cargo ship Bonnie G in the Caribbean Sea reveals a sequence of events that led to its grounding. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that a failure of the anchor chain, followed by navigation failure, caused the ship to run aground on October 4, 2023. The ship was anchored south of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, waiting for bad weather when the anchor chain gave way, and the ship drifted towards land. Despite the captain’s attempted navigation, the ship ultimately ran aground, prompting the evacuation of the 12 crew members by the US Coast Guard.

Fortunately, there were no injuries or pollution reported from the incident. The Bonnie G remained stranded for several weeks until it was eventually refloated and taken to a dock, where it was declared a total constructive loss valued at 1.5 million US dollars. Investigation into the grounding revealed that the captain had not used enough anchor chain for a safe anchorage in the given weather conditions, leading to the chain’s failure and subsequent grounding of the ship.

Additionally, the report mentioned that the captain failed to utilize available navigation charts to identify nearby hazards, leading to the ship inadvertently grounding on a rock. Had proper precautions been taken, such as securing the engine compartment’s waterproof door, the damage to the ship could have been minimized. The NTSB concluded that the inadequate use of anchor chain and the captain’s failure to avoid the nearby hazard were the primary causes of the grounding of the Bonnie G.

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