US investigators believe human error is the underlying cause of the collision between the "Elka Apollon" and the "MSC Nederland" on Oct 29, 2011, in the Houston Ship Channel.
Damage on port side of MSC Netherlands after the Houston Channel collision US investigators believe human error is the underlying cause of the collision between the "Elka Apollon" and the "MSC Nederland" on Oct 29, 2011, in the Houston Ship Channel.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Sep 25, 2012, placed much of the blame on the pilot of the "Elka Apollon". The agency said the probable cause was “the inappropriate response of the pilot of the 'Elka Apollon' to changes in bank effect forces as the vessel transited the Bayport flare, causing the vessel to sheer across the channel and into the 'MSC Nederland'”.
The NTSB believed also other factors like traffic density, the width of the waterway, vessel speed and inadequate communication between the tanker and a nearby tug played a role.
The "Elka Apollon" was travelling outbound and sustained damage in an area near its port bow from the crash and falling containers while the inbound "MSC Nederland" took the brunt of the blow portside at the main deck level in the vicinity of its superstructure. The containership's rescue boat was torn from its secured position and set adrift during the accident but no injuries or significant levels of pollution were reported aside from a small spill caused by hydraulic fluid that leaked from tractor equipment in a container.
In an earlier NTSB report, authorities said that prior to the collision pilots onboard both vessels agreed via VHF radio to a port-to-port passing right before the Mr Earl, pushing a fuel barge, exited the Bayport ship channel off the tanker's starboard side.
"The pilot on the 'Elka Apollon' issued commands to avoid the towboat and barge with left rudder orders and in so doing set the tanker on a heading across and to the left in the channel," officials said at that time.
The conning pilot on the tanker tried to regain control of the vessel with a hard starboard rudder order in an effort to avoid the "MSC Nederland", which took evasive action of its own, but ultimately the vessels still collided in spite of the efforts of both pilots. The NTSB said damage was estimated at $1.5m for the aframax and $1.3m for the panamax and, looking forward, urged the US Coast Guard to develop and implement a policy to ensure mariners are aware of precautionary areas on the Houston Ship Channel.
A formal report will be published shortly. Drugs and alcohol, weather, aids to navigation, vessel propulsion and steering systems were not found to be factors in the accident.
