OLYMPIC SCOUT

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Course/Position

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NTSB report into allsion published

The National Transportation Safety Board said on Sep 24, 2024, that the captain of the 'Montlake' failed to line up his vessel correctly while approaching the Hylebos Bridge in Tacoma, Washington on Oct 12, 2023,, causing the assisting tug 'Olympic Scout' to strike the bridge’s already deteriorated fender system. The 'Montlake', coupled to the 'Sodo', a 289-foot-long, 78-foot-wide barge, forming an articulated tug and barge unit, and was navigatomg outbound on the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma. The captain requested the Hylebos Bridge operator to open the bridge. While waiting, the ATB had to pause,, causing its bow to drift from the channel’s center towards port side. Although the captain attempted to steer starboard to align with the bridge, the drag from the 'Olympic Scout' on the port bow prevented the ATB from moving in that direction. When the ATB began its transit of the waterway, it was 1,276 feet from the bridge. The channel between the Hylebos Bridge fenders measured 150 feet wide. However, the combined width of the 'Montlake/Sodo' (78 feet) and the 'Olympic Scout' (26 feet) was 104 feet, leaving only 23 feet of clearance on each side of the vessels. Because of the short distance to the bridge and the speed of the ATB, there was insufficient time to correct the lineup before the 'Olympic Scout' struck the fender. The investgators suggested that slowing or fully stopping the ATB’s forward motion earlier would have provided the operators more time to correct the lineup and successfully transit through the opening between the bridge’s protective fendering. While the Hylebos Bridge itself remained undamaged, the fender system required replacement at a cost of $2.43 million. Notably, precasualty inspections in 2017 and 2022 had already identified significant deterioration of the fender piles due to marine borer damage and fungal decay. A marine surveying and consulting firm stated, The damage caused by the [Olympic Scout contact] resulted in significantly more damage being sustained as would have been, had the fendering structure been of sufficient structural strength. Full report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2426.pdf