On March 5, 2015, at 1334, tanker Chembulk Houston and container ship Monte Alegre collided and grounded in the Houston Ship Channel, after the pilots agreed to let the Chembulk Houston overtake the Monte Alegre. Both ships were inbound in the channel. No injuries or pollution resulted from the accident, but both vessels sustained damage above their waterlines, totaling more than $1.7 million.
The probable cause of the collision between the Chembulk Houston and the Monte Alegre was the pilot’s decision to increase speed on the Monte Alegre without informing the deputy pilot on the overtaking Chembulk Houston.
