Towing Vessel Pilot Asleep When Hit Louisiana Pier - The Secret To Waking Up Refreshed

Summary: An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that pilot fatigue was the primary cause of a towing vessel collision on the Lower Mississippi River near Saint Rose, Louisiana, in September 2023. The pilot of the vessel John 3:16 had fallen asleep while on watch due to significant sleep deprivation, which resulted in the vessel striking a pier. The pilot had accumulated less than two hours of continuous sleep before taking the watch and likely had less than five hours of sleep over the two days leading up to the incident.

Key Takeaways:

Sleepiness as a Leading Cause: The NTSB identified pilot sleepiness as the key factor in the collision of the John 3:16 towing vessel with a pier on the Mississippi River.
Significant Sleep Deprivation: The investigation found that the pilot had less than two hours of continuous sleep before taking the watch, with a total of less than five hours of sleep over the previous two days.
Need for Adequate Rest: The NTSB underscored the importance of mariners obtaining eight hours of quality sleep within a 24-hour period to maintain alertness and decision-making abilities.

The pilot of a towing vessel that hit a pier near Saint Rose, Louisiana, last year had fallen asleep, according to findings detailed in a National Transportation Safety Board report released earlier this month.

The pilot of the John 3:16 was experiencing the effects of sleepiness during his watch on Sept 12, 2023, while navigating the Lower Mississippi River. National Transportation Safety Board investigators concluded the pilot had less than two hours of continuous sleep before taking the watch and likely received less than five hours of sleep combined over the two days before striking the pier.

“A sleep deficit of as little as two hours can result in acute sleep loss and associated performance decrements, including decreased attention, slower reaction time, reduced vigilance, poor decision-making, and an inability to stay awake,” investigators found.

Pilot’s Work/Sleep History

The pilot of the towing vessel John 3:16 was in the middle of a 28-day rotation and typically got about 5 hours of sleep during each 12-hour off-watch period. However, the pilot noted that he was dealing with personal stressors in the days before the collision. This increased his cell phone use during his off-watch time. The pilot reported receiving 3 hours of continuous sleep during his 12 hours of off-watch time before the pier collision. But a review of the pilot’s cell phone records during these 12 hours indicated that the longest period between either a sent text message or a connected phone call (indicating some action on the part of the pilot
and that he was awake) was only 2 hours.

The company’s policies required crew members to manage their own rest and had provisions for stopping work if sleepy, but the pilot did not feel sleepy before the incident, despite significant sleep debt.

‘Hearing the Dead Man Alarm’

The John 3:16 wheelhouse was equipped with a watch alarm that monitored rudder input and movement using motion detectors. If there was no motion in the wheelhouse or rudder input detected for 2 minutes, an audible and visual alarm activated in the wheelhouse.

The pilot stated that the watch alarm activated and woke him up just before the John 3:16 contacted the pier. The pilot recalled “hearing the dead man alarm, opening my eyes, and there was the dock.”

Following the pier collision, the pilot told the port captain that he fell asleep.

Sleepiness a Major Factor in Marine Casualties

Sleepiness is often a factor in marine casualties investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Sleepiness “affects all aspects of human performance, including decision-making, alertness, and reaction time, all of which affect a mariner’s ability to safely navigate a vessel,” investigators say in a release. “Mariners should understand the performance effects of sleep loss and recognize the dangers of working on board a vessel while fatigued.”

In this case, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the contact of the John 3:16 with an industrial cargo pier was the pilot falling asleep while navigating due to an accumulated sleep debt. Contributing to the pilot’s
fatigue was cell phone use during off-watch time, which significantly limited the pilot’s opportunity for sleep.

“Obtaining quality, uninterrupted sleep on board a vessel is often challenging due to shipboard environmental factors and external distractions such as cell phones,” investigators say in a release. “It is important that mariners get enough sleep during each off-watch period, so they remain alert when assuming watch.”

The final cost to repair the John 3:16 and pier was $285,441.