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Report: Texas Ship Accident Caused By Fatigue, Distraction

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its official report regarding their investigation of last year’s enormous oil spill following the collision of an oil tanker and a tugboat in Port Arthur, Texas.

The January 2010 collision, which took place in the Sabine-Neches Ship Channel between the Eagle Otome and towboat Dixie Vengeance, was primarily caused by pilot distractions, fatigue, and poor communication. More specifically, the report found that the tanker’s pilot had an odd work schedule and an untreated sleep disorder that made him too fatigued to properly control his ship. In addition, he was reading a newspaper as he navigated the large vessel through the narrow passage.

The investigation noted that the unusual design of the tanker’s steering equipment increased the chances of a mistake, such as accidentally speeding the boat up instead of slowing it down.

While visibility was low, winds were high, and currents were strong, none of these factors are believed to have been significantly involved in the wreck, which spilled 462,000 gallons of oil in the ocean off of Texas’ coast.

The Texas oilrig accident investigators also commended the cleanup efforts, which they noted were very efficient and superbly coordinated – facts which they believe saved the fragile ocean ecosystem from further harm.

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