The M/V Delta Mariner, a cargo vessel carrying rocket components from the manufacturer in Decatur, Alabama, to Cape Canaveral, Florida, allided with Eggner's Ferry Bridge on the Tennessee River on the night of January 26, 2012, near Aurora, Kentucky. As the vessel approached the bridge, the bridge team maneuvered the Delta Mariner away from the main navigation span and toward a span providing insufficient clearance for the vessel.

​​The probable cause of the allision of the M/V Delta Mariner with Eggner’s Ferry Bridge was the bridge team's exclusive reliance on the contract pilot's incorrect navigational direction as the vessel approached the bridge and their failure to use all available navigation tools to verify the safety of the vessel's course. Contributing to the accident was Foss Maritime Company's failure to exercise effective safety oversight of the Delta Mariner's operations and the failure of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to effectively maintain bridge navigation lighting.

​​We issued recommendations to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) concerning effective bridge lighting and maintenance on July 25, 2012. This report includes recommendations to the Coast Guard regarding the maintenance of bridge navigation lighting and dissemination of broadcast notices to mariners; to the Federal Highway Administration with respect to state transportation department responsibilities regarding bridge navigation lighting; and to Foss Maritime Company, owner of the Delta Mariner, concerning passage planning, the ​expertise required of contract pilots, and clarification of their duties and responsibilities.