SAFETY ALERT 22 - April 2010

Watertight Doors - Close them and Dog Them!

This safety alert reiterates the need for vessel operators to ensure that watertight doors are always closed while underway, except when being used for access. This alert is the direct result of a collision between a 534’ cargo ship and a 166’ offshore supply vessel. The incident occurred on theMississippi River, in a restricted visibility situation. As a result of the collision, the offshore supply vessel capsized and sank – the crew of five was lost.

Download USCG Safety Alert PDF (558KB)

Recently a push boat operating "unfaced" (no barges attached) in the Houston Ship Channel flooded and sank while in the wake of tractor tug resulting in the death of the push boat crew and the narrow escape of two others.  Although the investigation is not yet compete, it appears that the following occurred:  The vessel's watertight doors leading to its engine room had each been pinned open.  The push boat had very little freeboard and was fully loaded with fuel and water.  As it took the wake of the tractor tug, the vessel lifted to one side and down flooded the engine room through a watertight door. As it rolled to the other side, it took on more water, eventually sinking stern first and coming to rest on the bottom of the channel in an upright position.  A person working in the engine room was trapped by the incoming water and drowned. Two others narrowly escaped death after being trapped in a berthing area for over 10 minutes, breathing only a pocket of air before taking dramatic efforts to reach the surface via a broken window.

Watertight doors have been the subject of three other safety alerts involving fishing vessels and offshore supply vessels.  Despite these awareness efforts, despite certain vessels having stability requirements requiring closure of such doors well documented in stability letters, despite owners and operators knowing what constitutes "Good Marine Practice," and many other applicable regulations the Coast Guard continues to investigate casualties where the failure to keep closed or properly to maintain watertight doors is determined to be  a causal factor.

Watertight doors function to establish the watertight integrity of the vessel and must always be treated as such.  Although an open or poorly maintained door may seem like an insignificant issue, when the right causal factors align, the door can become a death trap and result in terrible circumstances to a vessel and its crew. See the safety recommendations in the safety alert.