AVA CLAIRE

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Report: Assuming a watch immediately after awaking caused allision

The captain of the 'Ava Claire' assuming a watch immediately after waking led to a tow striking a lock gate in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the National Transportation Safety Board said in Marine Investigation Report 22/09 released on April 5, 2022. On March 22, 2021, the tug was transiting westbound pushing two fully loaded tank barges in the GIWW near Intracoastal City, La. After entering the Leland Bowman Lock, the bow of the lead barge struck a closed lock gate, damaging and disabling the gate. No injuries or pollution were reported. The lock gate sustained $2.5 million in damage. In the morning of March 22, 2021, the captain awoke after 4,5 hours of sleep to assume the watch early from the vessel’s pilot. The pilot offered to take the tow through the Leland Bowman Lock, but the captain declined and took the helm about five minutes before maneuvering the tow into the lock. The tow struck the lock gate less than 30 minutes after the captain woke up. At the time, the captain was likely experiencing the effects of sleep inertia — the temporary feeling of grogginess felt immediately upon waking up. As the master of the tug, the captain should have been familiar with the vessel operating policies and procedures and should not have taken the watch. However, his decision to take the watch may have also been the result of impairment caused by sleep inertia. Additional factors added to the captain’s challenges as he attempted to maneuver the 'Ava Claire' tow, including a tidal current pushing the tow from astern; loss of the GPS feed to the vessel’s electronic chart system which denied the captain his primary source of speed indication; and problems with radio communications between the deckhand and the captain further impacting his ability to judge speed and distance. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the contact of the tug tow with the Leland Bowman Lock gate was the towing vessel captain’s decision to assume the helm watch and attempt a predawn transit into the lock immediately after awakening while he was likely impaired by sleep inertia. Full report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2209.pdf