The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has actually released a record on an April 24, 2019, occurrence including, theTerral River Service Inc 2006-built towing vessel Edna T. Gattle.
The pulling vessel was pressing the firm’s 1943-built barge Terral 2 downbound on the Atchafalaya River with the Union Pacific Railway Bridge at mile 41.5, near Krotz Springs, La., when the captain blew up of the tow and also the vessel and also barge reached the bridge and also piers.
As an outcome, the barge experienced $26,748 in problems, and also the bridge received $500,000 in problems and also ran out solution for 3 days. No injuries or contamination were reported.
As normal, you need to check out the entire record for a genuine understanding right into what failed, however the NTSB’s decision of the potential root cause of the mishap was the captain permitting the tow to continue past a secure choice factor without validating the standing of the bridge opening, offered the high river current.
The record ends with this note:
Bridge Transit Decision Points
Decision factors in flow strategies define locations or times when vessels should do something about it to stay clear of harmful problems. Such choice factors must enable sufficient time and also range to securely implement a backup strategy. Passages that consist of lift and also swing bridges should expect and also represent postponed openings, specifically in high-current situations.
Download the record HERE