Coast Guard begins hearing on Texas oil spill

3/09/2010 01:02:00 PM

PORT ARTHUR, Texas – The captain of an 800-foot tanker that collided with a tugboat in a Gulf of Mexico waterway, causing the worst Texas oil spill in 15 years, was apparently unaware until moments before the crash that his ship was too far off course to prevent the collision, according to testimony Tuesday at a Coast Guard hearing.

The pilots of both vessels were aware they were close to one another, but audio recordings and testimony indicate they thought they would be able to pass one another safely in the narrow Gulf Coast channel they were sailing through.

The Jan. 23 collision off of Port Arthur dumped 462,000 gallons of crude oil into the Sabine Neches Waterway, forcing its temporary closure and coating some wildlife in oil. No one was injured.

Capt. Pallava Shukla, who was master of the Eagle Otome tanker that morning, testified he had become increasingly concerned about the ship's situation and had noticed it was having difficulty recovering from strong winds that were pushing the vessel too far to the west side of the narrow channel. The west side of the channel is reserved for a ship that needs to pass alongside from the other direction, he said.

Visibility, Shukla testified, was "very, very" poor and he noticed at one point the ship was turning too sharply and helped the pilot correct the angle.

There were two pilots aboard the tanker, as is mandatory when maneuvering such ships through the narrow waterway. The pilots are local professionals brought on board specifically to move large vessels through narrow, inland, shallow waterways, such as the Sabine channel.

However, Shukla said neither pilot shared information with him about passing arrangements that had been made with the tugboat.

In fact, Shukla testified, he attempted to override the ship's programming to speed up the ship moments before the collision, but accidentally pushed a button that shuts off the engine. He also said he had ordered the crewman at the front of the ship to immediately anchor the ship, despite it going full-speed, to try to re-center it.

The Coast Guard and the National Transportation and Safety Board are investigating the collision. No conclusions will be reached at the end of the public hearing, which could take up to 10 days. At the end of the investigation, the two agencies will make recommendations aimed at improving waterway safety.

The Eagle Otome and the tugboat were in contact with one another ahead of the collision and discussed passing arrangements.

The Eagle's first pilot, Capt. Charles Bancroft, told the tugboat he was heading toward a bridge.

"Yeah, I see," the tugboat pilot responded, adding "If you need me to speed up or slow down to make it easier for both of us, just let me know," he continued.

"I don't think so at this point," Bancroft said.

As they get closer, the communication continued.

"I'm gonna slow down and give you enough time to get past," one pilot said.

"All right, slow down," the other answered.

Before the vessels met, however, the Eagle Otome experienced several wind episodes that push it far into the west side of the channel — the passing lane, according to Shukla. The only indication that the Eagle's pilot may have informed the oncoming tugboat of his problem is an exchange that began, "Got it out of whack here."

The other pilot responded: "Come on ... bring it on. We should be all right."

A short time later, the pilots could see each other. One said: "You sure are wide," in apparent surprise at the other vessel's size.

The other pilot responded with an off-color remark. It was unclear from the audio, which pilot is from which ship.

Despite this exchange and his testimony that he was in the radio room at some points while moving through the narrow channel, Shukla said he was unaware the pilots had been talking to each other. He did, however, realize the pilot's order to emergency anchor in an attempt to brake the vessel and get it back on course, was failing.

Port Arthur is about 90 miles east of Houston.