Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. April 21, 2021
The collapsed row of containers on the barge Ho’omaka Hou in Hilo, Hawaii. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard.)
An improperly loaded barge resulted in the loss of 21 cargo containers into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Wednesday.
The June 22, 2020 accident, 6.9 nautical miles north-northwest of Hilo, Hawaii, resulted in $1.6 million in damages. There were no injuries. The barge Ho’omaka Hou, owned and operated by Young Brothers, LLC, was being towed by the Hoku Loa at the time.
The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the collapse of container stacks onboard the barge was the company not providing the barge team with an initial barge load plan, as well as inadequate procedures for monitoring stack weights. That led to the undetected reverse stratification of container stacks that subjected the stacks’ securing arrangements to increased force
Poor barge loading resulted in the loss of 21 cargo containers into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its report on the accident.
The barge Ho’omaka Hou, owned and operated by Young Brothers, LLC, was being towed by the Hoku Loa approximately 6.9 nautical miles north-northwest of Hilo at the time the June 22, 2020 accident. The accident resulted in $1.6 million in damages, but no injuries.
In Marine Accident Brief 21/09, the NTSB determined the probable cause of the collapse of container stacks onboard the barge was the company not providing the barge team with an initial barge load plan, as well as inadequate procedures for monitoring stack weights. “That led to the undetected reverse stratification of container stacks that subjected the stacks’ securing arrangements to increased forces while in transit at sea,” the NTSB said.