Tug George M after the casualty. / Containership MSC Aquarius docked after the casualty.

​Tug George M after the collision. (Source US Coast Guard)​

Collision between Tug George M and Containership MSC Aquarius

What Happened

​On April 14, 2022, about 0346 local time, the tugboat George M and containership MSC Aquarius collided while both vessels were transiting north in the Houston Ship Channel approaching Morgan’s Point, Texas. About 1,000 gallons of gear oil were released from the George M’s damaged port propulsion unit. No injuries were reported. Damage to the George M was estimated at $750,000; damage to the MSC Aquarius was $183,665.

What We Found

​We determined that the probable cause of the collision between the tugboat George M and the containership MSC Aquarius was the George M mate’s attempt to make up bow to bow while the tugboat and containership were transiting at a speed that was excessive for the advanced harbor assist maneuver. Contributing to the casualty was the George M mate’s lack of experience operating the tugboat.​

Lessons Learned

​Speed During Bow-to-bow Harbor-assist Operations  

The risk of a casualty during bow-to-bow harbor-assist operations with azimuthing stern drive (ASD) tugboats increases with increasing speed. Hydrodynamic forces around an assisted vessel’s bow increase exponentially with speed, while the amount of reserve propulsion power available to the tugboat operator decreases. Therefore, owners and operators of ASD tugboats that perform bow-to-bow harbor-assist operations should set speed limits for these maneuvers. These limits may vary for different classes of tugboats based on design. Tugboat operators should communicate these pre-determined speed limits to ship masters or pilots in command of the vessels that they are assisting before engaging in these maneuvers. ​

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