Seastreak Wall Street with Pier 11, Lower Manhattan, New York, New York January 9, 2013
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Allision of the Passenger Vessel Seastreak Wall Street with Pier 11, Lower Manhattan, New York, New York January 9, 2013 Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-14/01 PB2014-105712 NTIS # National Transportation Safety Board NTSB/MAR-14/01 NTIS # PB2014-105712 Notation 8473A Adopted April 8, 2014 Marine Accident Report Allision of the Passenger Vessel Seastreak Wall Street with Pier 11, Lower Manhattan, New York, New York January 9, 2013 National Transportation Safety Board 490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, DC 20594 National Transportation Safety Board. 2014. Allision of the Passenger Vessel Seastreak Wall Street with Pier 11, Lower Manhattan, New York, New York, January 9, 2013. Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-14/01. Washington, DC. Abstract: This report discusses the allision of the high-speed passenger ferry Seastreak Wall Street with Pier 11/Wall Street in lower Manhattan, New York City, on January 9, 2013. Four passengers were seriously injured, and 75 passengers and 1 deckhand sustained minor injuries. The estimated cost to repair the ferry was about $166,200. The total cost of repairs to the pier was $333,349. Safety issues identified in this report include oversight of vessel operations, control panel design, management of passenger access to stairwells to mitigate possible injuries, the importance of marine safety management systems, and the need for information captured by voyage data recorders in investigating and analyzing accident causes and identifying remedial actions to help prevent their recurrence. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issues new recommendations to the United States Coast Guard regarding human factors standards for critical vessel controls, the need for operator control of ferry passenger access to stairwells, and the carriage of marine voyage data recorders. The NTSB also recommends that the owner of the Seastreak Wall Street improve specific control system displays and alerts, complete development and implementation of a safety management system, and revise its vessel operations and training manuals. The NTSB asks the manufacturer of the vessel’s propulsion control system to improve its design and alert its customers to the changes. The report also reclassifies previous recommendations to the Coast Guard regarding safety management systems and voyage data recorders. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency dedicated to promoting aviation, railroad, highway, marine, and pipeline safety. Established in 1967, the agency is mandated by Congress through the Independent Safety Board Act of 1974 to investigate transportation accidents, determine the probable causes of the accidents, issue safety recommendations, study transportation safety issues, and evaluate the safety effectiveness of government agencies involved in transportation. The NTSB makes public its actions and decisions through accident reports, safety studies, special investigation reports, safety recommendations, and statistical reviews. Recent publications are available in their entirety on the Internet at http://www.ntsb.gov. Other information about available publications also may be obtained from the website or by contacting: National Transportation Safety Board Records Management Division, CIO-40 490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, DC 20594 (800) 877-6799 or (202) 314-6551 Copies of NTSB publications may be purchased from the National Technical Information Service. To purchase this publication, order product number PB2014-105712 from: National Technical Information Service 5301 Shawnee Road Alexandria, VA 22312 (800) 553-6847 or (703) 605-6000 www.ntis.gov For more detailed background information on this report, visit http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/dms.html and search for NTSB accident ID DCA13MM005. The Independent Safety Board Act, as codified at 49 U.S.C. Section 1154(b), precludes the admission into evidence or use of NTSB reports related to an incident or accident in a civil action for damages resulting from a matter mentioned in the report. NTSB Marine Accident Report Contents Figures ........................................................................................................................................... iv Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... v Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... vi 1 Accident Overview .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Voyage and Allision ........................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Injuries ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Damage to Vessel and Pier .............................................................................................. 4 1.3.1 Seastreak Wall Street .......................................................................................... 4 1.3.2 Pier 11, Slip D2―Dock Barge Desiree M ......................................................... 6 1.4 Waterway ......................................................................................................................... 7 1.5 Weather Conditions ......................................................................................................... 7 1.6 Vessel Information: Seastreak Wall Street ...................................................................... 7 1.6.1 Vessel Structure and Design ............................................................................... 7 1.6.2 Engines and Propulsion System ......................................................................... 9 1.6.3 Bridge Controls ................................................................................................ 10 1.7 Seastreak Ferry Operations ............................................................................................ 12 1.8 Regulatory Authority ..................................................................................................... 13 1.9 Personnel Information .................................................................................................... 14 1.10 Toxicological Testing .................................................................................................... 15 2 Investigation and Analysis ................................................................................................... 16 2.1 Accident Events and Captain’s Actions ......................................................................... 18 2.1.1 Approach to Pier and Allision .......................................................................... 18 2.1.2 Examination of Electronic Accident Data ........................................................ 20 2.2 Control Panel Design and Mode Indication ................................................................... 24 2.3 Seastreak Managerial Oversight .................................................................................... 25 2.3.1 Company Procedures at the Time of the Allision ............................................ 26 2.3.2 Safety Management Systems ............................................................................ 28 2.3.3 Previous NTSB Actions Regarding Safety Management Systems .................. 30 2.4 Vessel Performance Data and Accident Prevention ...................................................... 32 2.4.1 Data Recording on the Seastreak Wall Street .................................................. 32 2.4.2 Previous NTSB Action Regarding Voyage Data Recorders ............................ 34 3 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................ 37 3.1 Findings.......................................................................................................................... 37 3.2 Probable Cause............................................................................................................... 38 4 Recommendations ................................................................................................................. 39 4.1 New Recommendations ................................................................................................. 39 4.2 Previous Recommendations Reclassified in This Report .............................................. 40 References .................................................................................................................................... 42 Appendix A―NTSB Investigation Information ...................................................................... 43 Appendix B―NTSB Safety Alert .............................................................................................. 44 Appendix C―NTSB Vessel Power Study ................................................................................. 45 iii NTSB Marine Accident Report Figures Figure 1. Seastreak Wall Street ...................................................................................................... 1 Figure 2. Approximate track of the Seastreak Wall Street from Atlantic Highlands to Manhattan ................................................................................................................... 2 Figure 3. AIS data showing the ferry’s trackline for the last 7 minutes