LCPL PHILLIP GEORGE
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NTSB Report into allision published
On April 27, 2026, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued an investigation report into an incident where the LPCL 'Phhillip George' allided with a breakwater dolphin, resulting in damages and an oil spill in Galveston, Texas, on May 15, 2024. At about 09.47 a.m. local time, the tug was departing the Texas International Terminal in Galveston, Texas, pushing two loaded tank barges when the port quarter struck a terminal dolphin and one of the barges, the 'MMLP 321,' separated from the tow and contacted a power transmission pole and the Pelican Island Bridge in the Galveston Channel. There were no injuries, but about 20,000 gallons of vacuum gas oil was released into the waterway. Damage to the barge and the bridge, salvage operations, the value of the lost cargo, and the cost of the oil spill response was estimated at $8.4 million. The tug was pushing the two loaded tank barges out of TXIT when the vessel struck a breakwater dolphin, and the port coupling and center line between the two barges broke. Afterward, the lead barge contacted a power transmission pole, and the remaining coupling broke. The barge drifted west and contacted a portion of the Pelican Island Bridge and the abandoned railroad bridge next to it. The captain told investigators there were no problems with propulsion and steering control, navigation, or communication systems. The port coupling’s wires were less than 6 months old, with no known defects. The recorded tidal current at the time of departure was about two times faster than the predicted current the captain had referenced for her pre-voyage navigation assessment. Based on the predicted current, the captain was comfortable keeping the barges strung out (instead of breasted) and not using an assist tug. After positioning the tow to maneuver through the dolphins, the captain needed to turn the tow to starboard to enter the channel. However, due to the tow’s strung-out configuration, she had to clear a nearby piling to port of the tow before she could initiate this turn. As the head of the tow began leaving the protection of the breakwaters, the current immediately began setting the head of the tow to the west. The set increased as more of the tow exited the protection of the terminal basin, but the captain was still unable to earlier initiate the starboard turn until clear of the nearby piling. Once clear, the captain attempted, but was unable, to steer the tow to starboard due to the force of the current, resulting in the port quarter contacting the west breakwater dolphin. With the exception of a single wire in the starboard coupling, all wires and lines between the barges broke when the towboat struck the dolphin. The single wire was all that remained connecting the lead barge to the rest of the tow as the current continued setting the tow westward toward nearby infrastructure. This made the captain’s attempts to reorient the broken tow in a strong flood current more difficult and ultimately unsuccessful. About five minutes later, the aft port corner of the lead barge struck a power transmission pole. The remaining coupling wire between the barges broke, setting the lead barge adrift. The barge contacted a pier and footing for the Pelican Island Bridge and the abandoned railroad bridge next to it soon after. At the time of the casualty, there were no restrictions on vessels departing TXIT during any tidal condition. Three major marine casualties involving tows operating out of TXIT occurred within 18 months. Although the circumstances of each casualty were different, all took place during flood tides. On February 25, 2025, VTS Houston-Galveston included restrictions in their VTS policy for restricted mooring, bunkering, and/or lightering locations for the TXIT docks. As applied to this casualty, for flood departures, tows can no longer be strung out, an assist boat is required for all flood movements, and there are to be no transits on a flood greater than 0.5 knots (0.6 mph). Probable cause The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the contact of the tow with a terminal dolphin, a power transmission pole, and the Pelican Island Bridge was the captain not being able to overcome the effect of the tidal current, which was stronger than predicted, as the strung-out tow exited the protection of the terminal breakwater and entered the channel.
Medevac near Chocolate Bayou
The US Coast Guard medevaced a 50-year-old crew member of the 'LCPL Phiillip C. George' near Chocolate Bayou, Texas, on May 5, 2022. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center watchstanders received a report at 10:58 a.m. from the captain of the tug stating a crew member was unconscious and experiencing symptoms of a diabetic shock. Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. A Coast Guard Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and Coast Guard Station Galveston 29-foot Response Boat–Small boat crew launched to assist. The boat crew arrived on scene, administered first aid and assisted in bringing the unconscious crew member to the top deck to set up for a hoist. The Dolphin crew rendezvoused with the tug, hoisted the patient and transferred him to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in stable condition. Report with photo: https://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-medevacs-crew-member-from-tugboat/2022/05/05/
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