Why Do Grounding Incidents Occur?
In previous blogs, we have discussed how grounding incidents occur far too frequently on cargo ships, passenger vessels, container ships, tankers and other varieties of vessels.
Grounding incidents, which can involve a vessel’s hull scraping through land beds, occur for a number of reasons including negligence on behalf of an operator and/or employee aboard a vessel. When passenger vessels including ferries are involved in grounding incidents, they can lead to slip and fall accidents, or other mishaps as people attempt to abandon a vessel.
Chief Mate Error to Blame for Quebec Grounding Incident
We bring up grounding because recently Canada’s Transportation Safety Board announced that a passenger vessel that ran aground in the St. Lawrence River was involved in the incident due to errors by the chief mate aboard the vessel.
According to Professional Mariner, the incident occurred when the chief mate aboard the Louis Jolliet focused on finding a visual reference, while failing to utilize bridge navigation equipment. The incident took place near Sainte-Petronille, Ile d’Orleans, Quebec, on May 16, 2013. At the time, the vessel was carrying 57 passengers.
According to the news outlet, the chief mate operating the 163-foot Louis Jolliet was on his second day of work, having only received an orientation and experience aboard two cruises the day before the incident. He was reportedly supposed to be monitored by the master, who reportedly left the vessel’s wheelhouse prior to the incident for about two minutes. During this time, the chief mate altered the vessel’s course, eventually grounding the boat.
Passengers aboard the vessel were evacuated about 75 minutes after the grounding through tug and pilot boats. Thankfully, nobody was injured in the incident. Croisieres AML owns the vessel.
Working With an Attorney Following a Grounding Incident
Operators have a duty to make sure that passenger vessels are navigated safely. This includes making sure that all employees are properly trained to avoid grounding, sinking or capsizing incidents.
In the video above, attorney David Anderson discusses how the maritime attorneys at Latti & Anderson represent all injured passengers and workers, not just those injured on Massachusetts waters. Our clients have included people from all over the country.
Latti & Anderson LLP – Nationwide Maritime Attorneys