About 0637 on April 6, 2018, while turning around to head downriver with the assistance of three tugboats, the bow of the bulk carrier Shandong Fu En struck Dock 1 of the Ergon-St. James Terminal wharf at mile 160.7 on the Lower Mississippi River during high-water conditions. The Shandong Fu En, loaded with coal, had just departed the Convent Marine Terminal wharf, located across the river at mile 160.9. No pollution or injuries were reported, but the vessel and the wharf sustained $6.25 million in damage.

​​The probable cause of the contact of bulk carrier Shandong Fu En with the Ergon-St. James Terminal wharf was the fatigued pilot's misjudgment of a downstream turning maneuver during high-water conditions.

​​Mitigating Risk of Fatigue during High-Water Conditions

Pilot organizations have recognized that even for experienced pilots, fatigue can degrade performance especially in challenging conditions aboard deep-draft vessels. Since the accident, the NOBRA Board of Examiners instituted new procedures to mitigate the risk associated with operating deep-draft vessels in high-water conditions on the Mississippi River. These procedures include increasing the sleep opportunity for pilots by 1) lengthening the time between turns from 8 to 12 hours, and 2) reducing the work hours for attended moored vessels from 8 to a maximum of 6 hours per shift. They also include limiting pilot transits and mooring operations to daylight hours.​