Small Safety Steps After New Orleans Freighter Mishap

NEW ORLEANS — It has been almost two years since the freighter Bright Field slammed into the wharf adjacent to the Riverwalk mall, which abuts the New Orleans Hilton hotel on the Mississippi River. But only minor changes have been made since then to improve safety and prevent a similar occurrence.

In January, the National Transportation Safety Board released its final report on the accident. In it, the NTSB determined that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the Bright Field’s owners to adequately maintain the ship’s main engine and automation systems.

The NTSB was also critical of several agencies and companies. The report said that the Coast Guard, the Port of New Orleans and International RiverCenter — owners of the mall — contributed to the over $20 million in property damage by failing to “adequately assess, manage or mitigate the risks associated with locating unprotected commercial enterprises in areas vulnerable to vessel strikes.”

The board also addressed the lack of formal training for crew members on two passenger vessels that were almost struck by the runaway freighter. New Orleans Paddlewheels Inc., which operated the Flamingo Casino, was moored at the time and filled with over 600 passengers and crew.

The report said that non-operating crew members on the Flamingo had not received adequate training covering the full range of emergency scenarios and were not prepared to handle the accident.

In a speech before passenger vessel operators earlier this year, NTSB Chairman Jim Hall said that everyone should “take this great near miss and learn from it.”

Mr. Hall said the Flamingo’s operators could have done better as well as the Port of New Orleans.

I talked to Ron Brinson (New Orleans port director) and he was particularly sensitive that the report didn’t mention improvements made at the port after the accident,” Mr. Hall said. “But I stressed that it was just an assessment at the time when the accident occurred. I told him that improvements have been made, but don’t ignore that we may have missed one of the great marine disasters of all time.”

Mr. Hall said that the port should do a full risk assessment. “We are pushing for an overall risk assessment for that area of the river.”

But port officials point out that they did a full risk assessment in 1994-95 when the possibility arose that as many as four casino vessels would operate in the busy area where the Bright Field lost power. And, the port says, a waterfront alert system was installed after the accident.

“We did a huge risk assessment when the casino industry came in,” said port spokesman Paul Dauphin, “and we told the NTSB we’ll do another.”

The NTSB also questioned whether the port should dock cruise ships in the area.

We determined that the area is safe,” said Mr. Dauphin.

He pointed out that the biggest concern was the Poydras Street Wharf, the area hit by the Bright Field. The NTSB recommended that it be widened to provide a bigger buffer area, an expensive proposition. But the owners, International RiverCenter, have already rebuilt it to the same width as before the crash.