At 0750 c.s.t., on December 4, 1977, the Spanish motor tankship RIBAFORADA rammed the moored barge MN-5, three wharves, and the cargo ship M/V TIARET on the lower Mississippi River near New Orleans, Louisiana. Two of the RIBAFORADA's cargo tanks were breached. Property damage was estimated to be $921,000. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the pilot's late initiation of the turning maneuver and the failure of the master to more insistently assert his concern or to assume control of the vessel when the RIBAFORADA was too close to the left descending bank. Contributing to the cause were the pilot's limited familiarity with the maneuvering characteristics of the RIBAFORADA, and the pilot's impaired attentiveness due to fatigue.
Marine Accident Report: Spanish Motor Tankship RIBAFORADA Ramming of Barge MB-5, Three Wharves, and Cargo Ship M/V TIARET, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 4, 1977
1979
27 pages
Report
No indication
English