At 2342 local time on July 8, 2017, the uninspected towing vessel Eric Haney ran aground on a submerged portion of an erosion-control dike while pushing 15 empty barges upriver on the Upper Mississippi River by Cairo, Illinois, at mile marker (mm) 13.4.1 All crewmembers climbed aboard one of the empty barges without any reported injuries. The towboat and barges were freed by the current, drifted downriver, and were pushed into the opposite bank by another towboat at mm 9.7. The barges broke free, and the Eric Haney partially sank. Minimal oil sheening was observed after the sinking. Damage to the vessel was estimated at $4.3 million.

​​The probable cause of the grounding and subsequent sinking of the Eric Haney was the pilot’s failure to identify a charted navigation hazard (erosion-control dike) during towing operations.

​​​Identifying Navigation Hazards

Mariners using electronic chart systems (ECS) should be aware that aids to navigation, hazards, and other map features may not be represented on the displays at certain range scales. Mariners should use appropriate range scales for their routes on ECS displays to identify potential hazards while navigating.​