GALVESTON - In the moments before a bulk carrier and barge collided in the Houston Ship Channel, causing a major oil spill, the carrier's pilot didn't hear the captain of the tugboat pushing the barge broadcast her position and intention to cross the channel ahead of his vessel.
The pilot, Michael Pizzitola, acknowledged in testimony at a hearing Tuesday that he had failed to monitor a Coast Guard-required radio channel over which the tugboat captain broadcast crucial information.
The bulk carrier Summer Wind and the tugboat Miss Susan collided on March 22, leading to the largest oil spill in Galveston Bay in two decades. Pizzitola, and the Miss Susan's captain, Kelli Ann Hartman, testified in the second day of a hearing on the cause of the accident, which spilled 168,000 gallons of thick fuel oil into Galveston Bay.Hartman testified that the Summer Wind unexpectedly increased its speed, throwing off a course calculation that would have allowed her tugboat to push its two oil-filled barges out of the path of the oncoming vessel.
Hartman said she took the helm from a pilot 45 minutes early because she wanted a more experienced hand in charge due to foggy conditions in an area of ticklish navigation.The Miss Susan was pushing its barges into a marine intersection known as the Texas City Y where traffic intersects from the Port of Texas City, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Houston Ship Channel.
The Miss Susan was moving from the Port of Texas City, behind the Texas City Dike, where the Intracoastal crosses the Houston Ship Channel. Hartman intended to cross the channel and follow the Intracoastal to its channel behind the Bolivar Peninsula.The Summer Wind was heading to the Port of Houston to take on cargo, Pizzitola said. Hartman said the Miss Susan was near the end of the Texas City Dike and preparing to head across the Ship Channel when she took the helm.Hartman calculated that at the Summer Wind's speed, she had time to cross the Ship Channel with a half-mile to spare.
But those calculations went awry when the Summer Wind increased speed from 10 knots to 12 knots. Concerned, Hartman said she radioed the Summer Wind to make sure her tug was seen. "Hey, I'm crossing, how do I look on your plotter?" Hartman recalled saying.Hartman asked the ship to slow down. "His response was he was too close and it wouldn't have done no good," Hartman said.Hartman put her engines in reverse and tried to turn to starboard to avoid a collision, but the momentum of the barges pulled the Miss Susan ahead.The Summer Wind struck one of the barges dead center in the middle of the Ship Channel.Pizzitola testified that he was hired to pilot the Nigerian-flagged bulk carrier into the Port of Houston.
Unlike Hartman, Pizzitola gave commands to a quartermaster who steered the ship. Pizzitola testified that he did the best he could under the circumstances.Pizzitola said he didn't know the Miss Susan was a threat until he saw the vessel on radar less than a mile away.
He said a navigational aid known as a portable pilot unit, which he later said was faulty, showed the Miss Susan traveling at 3.5 knots, so slow that he believed Hartman was hanging back to let him pass by."When I seen her I knew she was a threat right then, but I was sure she wouldn't cross at 3.5 knots," he said.Pizzitola said his first communication with the Miss Susan came when Hartman called to warn him that the ships were getting too close. He slowed the ship at first, then sped up because it was the only way he could keep control in the current, Pizzitola said.
The Miss Susan was a ship length away when it appeared out of the fog, he said. He turned hard to starboard and backed full astern, but it was too late.Under questioning by Hartman's attorney, Glen Goodier, Pizzitola admitted that he had failed to monitor marine channel 12 as required by the Coast Guard. Hartman had broadcast her position and her intent to cross several times on Channel 12. Pizzitola conceded that he missed hearing the positions of other vessels in the area.Pizzitola also was questioned by a National Transportation Safety Board investigator for his failure to use the names of vessels when communicating.
Pizzitola said he couldn't pronounce the names of some foreign vessels and his habit was to address them as inbound or outbound vessel.The investigator pointed out an NTSB finding that the failure to use ships' names contributed to accidents. Pizzitola did not concede that his failure to listen to the proper channel or use ship names contributed to the collision.The resulting spill soiled beaches on the Texas City Dike and the Big Reef on Galveston Island.
The pilot, Michael Pizzitola, acknowledged in testimony at a hearing Tuesday that he had failed to monitor a Coast Guard-required radio channel over which the tugboat captain broadcast crucial information.
The bulk carrier Summer Wind and the tugboat Miss Susan collided on March 22, leading to the largest oil spill in Galveston Bay in two decades. Pizzitola, and the Miss Susan's captain, Kelli Ann Hartman, testified in the second day of a hearing on the cause of the accident, which spilled 168,000 gallons of thick fuel oil into Galveston Bay.Hartman testified that the Summer Wind unexpectedly increased its speed, throwing off a course calculation that would have allowed her tugboat to push its two oil-filled barges out of the path of the oncoming vessel.
Hartman said she took the helm from a pilot 45 minutes early because she wanted a more experienced hand in charge due to foggy conditions in an area of ticklish navigation.The Miss Susan was pushing its barges into a marine intersection known as the Texas City Y where traffic intersects from the Port of Texas City, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Houston Ship Channel.
The Miss Susan was moving from the Port of Texas City, behind the Texas City Dike, where the Intracoastal crosses the Houston Ship Channel. Hartman intended to cross the channel and follow the Intracoastal to its channel behind the Bolivar Peninsula.The Summer Wind was heading to the Port of Houston to take on cargo, Pizzitola said. Hartman said the Miss Susan was near the end of the Texas City Dike and preparing to head across the Ship Channel when she took the helm.Hartman calculated that at the Summer Wind's speed, she had time to cross the Ship Channel with a half-mile to spare.
But those calculations went awry when the Summer Wind increased speed from 10 knots to 12 knots. Concerned, Hartman said she radioed the Summer Wind to make sure her tug was seen. "Hey, I'm crossing, how do I look on your plotter?" Hartman recalled saying.Hartman asked the ship to slow down. "His response was he was too close and it wouldn't have done no good," Hartman said.Hartman put her engines in reverse and tried to turn to starboard to avoid a collision, but the momentum of the barges pulled the Miss Susan ahead.The Summer Wind struck one of the barges dead center in the middle of the Ship Channel.Pizzitola testified that he was hired to pilot the Nigerian-flagged bulk carrier into the Port of Houston.
Unlike Hartman, Pizzitola gave commands to a quartermaster who steered the ship. Pizzitola testified that he did the best he could under the circumstances.Pizzitola said he didn't know the Miss Susan was a threat until he saw the vessel on radar less than a mile away.
He said a navigational aid known as a portable pilot unit, which he later said was faulty, showed the Miss Susan traveling at 3.5 knots, so slow that he believed Hartman was hanging back to let him pass by."When I seen her I knew she was a threat right then, but I was sure she wouldn't cross at 3.5 knots," he said.Pizzitola said his first communication with the Miss Susan came when Hartman called to warn him that the ships were getting too close. He slowed the ship at first, then sped up because it was the only way he could keep control in the current, Pizzitola said.
The Miss Susan was a ship length away when it appeared out of the fog, he said. He turned hard to starboard and backed full astern, but it was too late.Under questioning by Hartman's attorney, Glen Goodier, Pizzitola admitted that he had failed to monitor marine channel 12 as required by the Coast Guard. Hartman had broadcast her position and her intent to cross several times on Channel 12. Pizzitola conceded that he missed hearing the positions of other vessels in the area.Pizzitola also was questioned by a National Transportation Safety Board investigator for his failure to use the names of vessels when communicating.
Pizzitola said he couldn't pronounce the names of some foreign vessels and his habit was to address them as inbound or outbound vessel.The investigator pointed out an NTSB finding that the failure to use ships' names contributed to accidents. Pizzitola did not concede that his failure to listen to the proper channel or use ship names contributed to the collision.The resulting spill soiled beaches on the Texas City Dike and the Big Reef on Galveston Island.