Tugboat Collision in Houston Ship Channel Due to Excessive Speed

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a tugboat collided with a containership in the Houston Ship Channel last year due to excessive speed during an advanced harbor-assist maneuver. The incident occurred on April 14, 2022, when the tugboat George M was positioning for a ship-assist maneuver and the containership MSC Aquarius was transiting north in the channel. Luckily, no injuries were reported, but approximately 1,000 gallons of gear oil were released from the damaged tugboat. Damages to both vessels amounted to over $900,000.

During the harbor-assist operation to dock the MSC Aquarius, the George M was assigned the “center lead forward” position on the bow of the containership. In an attempt to make up to the bow of the vessel, the mate on the George M approached the containership while it was transiting at 9.7 knots. However, the tugboat moved out of the centerline while trying to connect its line to the containership. Despite the mate’s efforts to maneuver the tugboat back to the centerline, two collisions occurred.

The NTSB investigation revealed that the mate of the George M could have requested the pilot of the MSC Aquarius to slow down, but failed to communicate after being assigned to the center lead forward position. The pilot was unaware of the tugboat’s status or the need to slow down. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the collision was the mate’s attempt to make up bow-to-bow at an excessive speed for the advanced harbor-assist maneuver. The mate’s lack of experience operating the tugboat also contributed to the collision.

As a result of this incident, the NTSB recommended that owners and operators of azimuthing stern drive (ASD) tugboats that perform bow-to-bow harbor-assist operations establish speed limits for these maneuvers. These limits may vary based on the design of the tugboats. Furthermore, tugboat operators should communicate these predetermined speed limits to ship masters or pilots before engaging in these maneuvers. The NTSB emphasized that the risk of a casualty during bow-to-bow harbor-assist operations increases with higher speeds, as hydrodynamic forces around the assisted vessel’s bow become more significant while the tugboat’s available propulsion power decreases.

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