Marine Incident Summary Report
Near Grounding of the Liberian Tank Ship Patriot
Bay of Campeche, Mexico
October 15, 1995
Marine Incident Summary Report
Near Grounding of the Liberian Tank Ship Patriot
Bay of Campeche, Mexico
October 15, 1995
NTSB Number MAR-97/01/SUM
NTIS Number PB97-916402
PDF Document (896K)
Abstract: On October 15, 1995, the Liberian-registered motor vessel Patriot, a 95,000 deadweight-ton tank ship, came within 10 miles (2-3 hours) of grounding on the north side of the Yucatan Peninsula near Campeche, Mexico, while navigating in rough seas and high winds associated with Hurricane Roxanne. Had the grounding occurred, it could have resulted in significant damage to the ship’s structure, injuries or deaths among the 27 crewmembers, and damage to the environment.
The safety issues discussed in this report are the master’s decisionmaking, Conoco Shipping Company’s monitoring of weather and its management of the movement of its vessels, and Conoco Shipping Company’s shoreside support for shipboard decisionmaking.
As a result of its investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board issued five safety recommendations to Conoco Shipping Company, Inc., and one safety recommendation to the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners.