Degraded dock collapses in Louisiana after barge contact

About 150 feet of a degraded dock in Chalmette, Louisiana, collapsed into the water in 2023 after a barge contact, the US National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

​The towing vessel Ovide J​ was maneuvering two loaded crude oil barges to the Chalmette Refinery crude oil dock on April 25, 2023, when the starboard barge contacted the transfer platform on one of the dock’s dolphins.

​A 2017 inspection report found major deterioration on the dolphin, and a 2021 report also identified major damage and deterioration. The dock owner did not make any progress on the structural integrity of the dock in the year and five months between that last inspection and the dock collapse.

Investigators found it is likely that the dock’s transfer platform structure was compromised to the extent that it could not sustain the forces from a typical docking. The tow did not break up as a result of the contact, and no jolting movement was seen on the onboard recording, indicating it did not strike the dock with a large amount of force.

“It is important for dock owners to inspect, evaluate, maintain, and rehabilitate facilities, piers, docks, and other infrastructure to minimize the risk to the environment and the vessels that traverse the waterways,” the report said. “Scheduling inspections, as well as maintaining and replacing waterfront infrastructure and components, is critical to continued safe operations.”

NTSB said the dock owner had begun taking measures to better monitor dock integrity.