On October 30, 2023, at 1610 local time, the towing vessel John M Donnelly was pushing 25 empty dry cargo barges upbound at mile 246.5 on the Lower Mississippi River, near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when it grounded on a submerged obstruction. One crew member sustained a minor injury. No pollution was reported. The cost of damage to the vessel was $505,834.
We determined that the probable cause of the grounding of the towing vessel John M Donnelly on a submerged obstruction in the Mississippi River was the pilot not identifying the hazard posed by the charted obstruction during low water conditions while maneuvering his tow to avoid other tows.
