Human error blamed for Alaska tug accident

Part 2 in series following the investigation of Bligh Reef grounding, oil spill

BY WESLEY LOY FOR GREENING OF OIL

Nearly two months after an oil industry tugboat ran aground on infamous Bligh Reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, a pair of investigations into how it happened remains under wraps.

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But significant new information has emerged about a mishap that has shaken confidence in what many regard as one of the world’s most highly safeguarded shipping zones.

On the evening of Dec. 23, the tug Pathfinder hit Bligh Reef, a well-marked maritime hazard notorious as the rock that ripped open the tanker Exxon Valdez in 1989, releasing about 11 million gallons of Alaska North Slope crude oil.

The impact ruptured the Pathfinder’s fuel tanks, with as much as 6,410 gallons of diesel spilling into the Sound.

Two investigations are under way, one by the U.S. Coast Guard and another by the tug’s operator, Crowley Maritime Corp. of Jacksonville, Fla. Neither investigation is finished.

Crowley says cause of grounding apparent

But a Crowley representative has informed the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council, a congressionally sanctioned oil industry watchdog organization based in Alaska’s major oil tanker port of Valdez, that the cause of the grounding is apparent.

“We have found no mechanical problems. The electrical equipment in the wheelhouse was fully functional, and I am embarrassed to say, it is human error,” said Charlie Nalen, general manager of the Crowley’s Valdez operation. “We need to get to the bottom of the error chain.”

Nalen’s comments appear in an article in the council’s latest quarterly newsletter, The Observer.

Experienced captain

After the grounding, the Pathfinder’s captain and second mate were relieved of duty. Neither Crowley nor the Coast Guard have released their names.

The newsletter article says Crowley informed the council the captain had 30 years of sailing experience, mostly in Prince William Sound, with more than 20 years as a captain. The second mate had a year and a half of experience.

Both had proper licenses, were in good health, and were in the Pathfinder’s pilothouse when the accident occurred.

Crowley has “some real concerns” about activity on the vessel such as change-of-watch practices and “bridge team management,” said Nalen, as quoted in the council newsletter.

The 136-foot Pathfinder had a six-member crew.

On the day of the accident, the tug had been out in the Sound scouting for icebergs that can drift into the shipping lanes, posing a danger to oil-laden tankers steaming through Prince William Sound toward the open Pacific.

The Pathfinder was on its way back to the Port of Valdez when it scraped the reef.

The crew of the tug, which stayed afloat, anchored in a nearby bay.

In the ensuing hours and days, 20 vessels would rush to the scene including Coast Guard cutters, salvage and cleanup vessels, and commercial fishing boats whose crews are trained to respond to oil spills.

Aging tug’s uncertain fate

The Pathfinder was part of a fleet of powerful Crowley tugs stationed at Valdez to help moor oil tankers and to escort them through the Sound, though escorting was not part of the Pathfinder’s duties.

Crowley provides the tugs for Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., which runs the huge oil terminal at Valdez.

The tanker escorts, along with other safeguards such as the pre-positioning of spill response equipment around the Sound, are a legacy of the Exxon Valdez disaster and a model for the world, the watchdog group says.

Only recently, on Jan. 17, the escort system came dramatically into play when a tanker carrying oil for Exxon experienced an electrical problem and power loss at the Sound’s outer entrance. Two escort tugs took control of the tanker and towed it to a safe anchorage.

As for the Pathfinder, it has been towed to the Port of Seattle, where Crowley has a base.

The tug, which sustained heavy damage, is relatively old, built in 1970.

In a recent interview, Crowley spokesman Mark Miller said no decision has been made on whether to repair or scrap the tug.

“All of us at Crowley are deeply disappointed and saddened that this grounding occurred,” Rockwell Smith, a Crowley executive, said in a Dec. 25 press release. “We regret that we’ve disrupted service to Alyeska and that fuel has been released into the water. We will get to the bottom of this and take all necessary corrective actions.

‘Complacency never sleeps’

A grounding and spill involving a tugboat whose mission was to help prevent such maritime mishaps was an irony not lost upon many Alaskans, especially considering the fact that it happened at Bligh Reef, site of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster.

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said he was “indignant” over this and a string of other recent oil industry spills, and he directed top cabinet members to conduct a review and recommend possible spill prevention and enforcement reforms.

A big focus following the Exxon Valdez disaster was on how to keep the industry awake and focused in the course of doing jobs such as tankering oil.

“Whatever the causes of the Pathfinder grounding are determined to have been, the incident should serve as a forceful reminder to the oil industry and its regulators that complacency never sleeps,” Steve Lewis, board president of the citizens’ council, wrote in a column in the council’s newsletter.

Coast Guard investigation timeline unclear

Coast Guard Petty Officer David Mosley told Greening of Oil it’s unclear when the Coast Guard’s investigation will be done and made public. He said Rear Adm. Christopher Colvin, the Coast Guard commander for Alaska, recently devoted some time to the matter.

The citizens’ council is anxious to see the report, which hopefully will include a minute-by-minute account of what happened on Dec. 23, council spokesman Stan Jones said.

The council has questioned whether the Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Center in Valdez could have used its radar and other capabilities to warn the tug away from the reef.

Links of interest

When the unacceptable happens: Tugboat hits Bligh Reef

Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council newsletter

Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council blog on Pathfinder accident

Crowley Maritime Corp. operations in Valdez, Alaska

Editor’s note: The first in this series about the Pathfinder grounding and oil spill is in Greening of Oil’s archive.

Contact Wesley Loy at wloy@petroleumnews.com