Maritime Accident News

Vessel Collisions in February

In February, there were two reported vessel collisions in the Mississippi Sound and Tampa Bay.  Neither accident resulted in injuries, but there was damage sustained to the vessels.

One vessel collision took place in the Mississippi Sound, about 2 ½ nautical miles southwest of Bayou Caddy.  The accident involved a towing vessel, called the Velma C., and a sail boat, known as Sound Advice.  The tow boat was pushing three empty barges when the collision occurred.  According to CoastGuardNews.com, “the four people aboard the Sound Advice and four people aboard the Velma C. were reportedly not injured.  The crew of the Sound Advice reported damage to the port deck and porthole above the waterline and the crew of the Velma C reported no damage.”

Another vessel collision resulted in the closure of Tampa Bay to boating traffic on the morning of Friday, February 13, 2009.  The accident occurred Thursday night between a fishing trawler and a barge.  According to authorities, the collision caused a spill of approximately 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the water.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Sondra Kay said that all boating traffic was stopped Friday morning.  She said that all vessels in port were ordered to stay where they were and that freighters, tankers and barges were in a holding pattern west of Sunshine Skyway bridge.

The 80-foot-long fishing vessel, known as Maranatha, from Irvington, Alabama, and the Coastal, a 95-foot-barge, collided approximately two miles northwest of Manbirthee Key near the Skyway.  The Skyway spans the mouth of Tampa Bay.  The vessel collision caused a 4-by-8 inch gash in the Maranatha’s fuel tank, according to officials.

The Coast Guard believes that anywhere from 800 to 1,600 gallons of diesel were spilled into the water.  The tank can hold approximately 4,000 gallons.  The fog and darkness made it difficult for officials to make exact estimates of the amount of fuel that was spilled.

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