February 22, 2021 By David Murray
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited a lack of organizational oversight as an important contributing factor to about a third of the marine accidents on which the NTSB completed investigations in 2019, including such significant inland incidents as the Stretch Duck 7, Buster Bouchard-B. No. 255, Miss Roslyn, Jeanette, Jonathon King Boyd–Bayou Chevron, Natalie Jean, Emsworth Dam and Ms. Nancy C accidents.
While crew fatigue was cited as a significant factor in several blue-water incidents, it was not cited as a major contributor to any towing vessel incidents that year.
Those were some of the conclusion of a report released December 10 by the NTSB, collecting the lessons learned from marine accidents in 2019. The report, titled “Safer Seas Digest: Lessons Learned from Marine Casualty Investigations,” was prepared by the NTSB’s Office of Safety Recommendati