Officials working for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released the results of their investigation today into what caused the January 22, 2010 Port Arthur collision of the towboat Dixie Vengeance and the tanker Eagle Otome.
As the two vessels collided, the 810-foot tanker’s hull breached spilling roughly 462,000 gallons oil directly into the Sabine-Neches Ship Channel. No human injuries or deaths resulted. The accident ultimately caused the largest oil spill in Texas in more than twenty years. The last time Texas recorded such a spill was in 1990 when a Norwegian tanker spilled over 4 million gallons into the water off the coast of Galveston.
According to the NTSB’s findings, the pilot who attempted to navigate the narrow waterway was “tired and suffering from an untreated sleep disorder”. The vessel’s second pilot was reported to have been “reading the newspaper” as the incident unfolded.
The tanker’s two pilots also failed to follow communication guidelines set by the Sabine Pilots Association and violated rules that mandate one pilot should be navigating the ship while the other is in charge of radio communications, instead of taking turns simultaneously conducting both tasks.
Those factors, in combination with lax regulations, ultimately caused the oil spill which necessitated the shutting-down of the channel for 5 full days. Early estimates put the damage to the economy at approximately $200 million per day. The NTSB also made it clear that, despite initial Coast Guard findings to the contrary, weather was not a factor in the collision.
If you or a loved one has been hurt offshore due to the negligence of someone else, contact an experienced maritime lawyer at Zehl & Associates for a free, confidential consultation: 1-888-302-3838. The Jones Act and other laws exist to protect you in the event of an on-the-job injury or illness. Call our Maritime Litigation Team now to find out how to enforce your rights.
Source: Houston Chronicle
