200376 Giving the Passengers a Thrill

Giving the Passengers a Thrill
MARS Report 200376

You will see that this incident is almost a carbon copy of the COLREGS scenario in the August edition of SEAWAYS (2003). It took place at night in the South Sabine lightering area off Port Arthur in the U.S. Gulf. This is a congested area with often several lightering operations going on at the same time, two Safety Fairways running through it and numerous oil rigs scattered all over it.

Own vessel was a VLCC engaged in ship to ship lightering with an Afromax lighter close alongside. Both vessels were showing red-white-red lights vertically that were clearly visible all round. In addition there was a support vessel or supply boat close on the port bow of the VLCC. The support boat had made a Securité call on channel 16 giving our course as 235 and speed as 5.5 knots and requesting a wide berth. This message was repeated by the VLCC on Channel 13.

The Safety Fairway to Galveston runs in a 305 - 125 direction. Two passenger vessels were observed on our port side in the Fairway. The first having a CPA crossing ahead of one cable and the second passenger vessel, on the port quarter of the first, had a CPA of 6 cables. Despite repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact these vessels by VHF, plus light and sound signals they maintained their course and speed. Own vessel reduced speed and the closest passenger vessel passed ahead of us at two cables clearing the support boat by no more than one cable. The other passenger vessel cleared us at just over 6 cables.

I can only assume that, like too many respondents in the COLREGS survey in the August edition of SEAWAYS, the people on the passenger vessels thought that being in a Safety Fairway gave them-right of way.