On 23 June 1989, the 559 foot tankship grounded off of the entrance of Narragansett Bay, RI. The vessel drew 33 feet of water and grounded in 30 feet. Seven thousand barrels of oil were spilled.
The NTSB found that the accident occurred because of the fatigue of the master who had been without rest for the previous 35 hours. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the State Pilotage Commission’s failure to notify inbound vessels of the location of the pilot boarding.
The Board opined that if the vessel had a double hull, no oil would have been spilled. Report number PB-90-916409.
The offshore supply vessel equipped with 160 foot legs to elevate it above the water where it would serve as a work platform in the oil and gas industry, capsized on 29 June 1989. The NTSB found the cause of the accident was a failure by the owner to require inspection of the legs for flooding before they were retracted. The capsizing had occurred when the legs were retrieved and one of them had flooded due to faulty design and repair. Report PB-90-916408.
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