DRD Towing under scrutiny for using under qualified mates

The admission by DRD Towing Company LLC of Harvey, Louisiana for using apprentice mates without the presence of a licensed master on their towboats makes you wonder just how widespread this practice is among tug operators.

41-year-old John Paul Bavaret II pled guilty Jan. 19 to a felony violation of the Ports and waterways Safety Act for his role in a 2008 Mississippi River oil spill near New Orleans.

A Coast Guard investigation revealed that the sleep-deprived apprentice mate was at the helm of the towboat Mel Oliver without the presence of a captain in the wheelhouse when the boat and the tanker barge it was pushing collided into a tanker ship. 283,000 gallons of fuel spilled from the barge which closed part of the river for six days.

The Ruby E, another DRD tugboat, was involved in a separate incident that same year which resulted in its sinking. Like the Mel Oliver, it was piloted by a crewmember with an apprentice mate’s license.

In Coast Guard hearings in 2009, DRD employees testified that the company frequently let lower-level crew to stand in for higher ranking crew.

Sources: Yahoo News, Nola.com