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Cleanup, investigation of freighter accident under way
In this story:
December 16, 1996
- Some areas still unreachable
- Pilot called a hero
- Investigation to focus on cause of power failure
- Related stories and sites
Web posted at: 2:00 p.m. ESTNEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- Officials said Monday they would attempt to reach unexamined riverfront areas damaged Saturday when a 735-foot freighter ran into a popular tourist area along the Mississippi River.
The Bright Field, a freighter operated by a Hong Kong company, took out a 200-foot section of Riverwalk mall and the parking garage of the One River Place condominiums. The adjoining Hilton hotel reported 20 rooms sustained serious damage, but the hotel continued to operate.
An estimated 1,000 people were in the mall when two of its three levels collapsed into the water. No fatalities have been reported and most of the approximately 140 people who were injured have been released from hospitals.
Some areas still unreachable
New Orleans Fire Department officials said they had still not been able to reach a collapsed parking garage because the wreckage was too unstable.
New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial said rescue officials were attempting to stabilize the areas damaged by the freighter.
"Thus far, we don't have any confirmed reports of anyone unaccounted for. So we're hopeful that the good news will continue and thus far, it may be nothing short of a miracle that there have been no fatalities," he said.
He said officials hoped to allow the portions of the mall which were not damaged to reopen.
The freighter, carrying a load of corn, apparently lost power as it made a turn in the Mississippi.
Pilot called a hero
The pilot of the ship, Ted Davisson, is being credited with saving lives, but he told reporters "I just did my job... that's all I did."
Authorities said by dropping the anchor, Davisson was able to bring the freighter into the shore between two cruise ships and a gambling casino with 800 people on board.
Capt. Joe Clayton of the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilot Association, said if it had not been for Davisson's quick response, the damage would have been much worse.
Had Davisson not maneuvered the freighter to reduce its momentum, sounded the warning horn and contacted officials on shore, Clayton said, "he could have possibly killed people on the dock and further down the dock, we feel certain it would have rolled the gambling vessel."
Clayton said the freighter was traveling too fast for tugboats to have steered it away from the riverfront.
Investigation to focus on cause of power failure
John Hammerschmidt of the National Transportation Safety Board said investigators had interviewed the crew and made an initial inspection of the ship and its engines. Davisson and the crew passed an alcohol and drug test, which is required after accidents.
Speculation has centered on a lube oil pump which crew members indicated caused the freighter's engine to lose power, in turn causing the vessel to lose the ability to steer.
"At this juncture, we're not quite sure that that lube oil pump actually failed, and, from what we've seen initially, and this is very, very preliminary, the shipboard systems seemed to function as designed," said Hammerschmidt.
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Hammerschmidt said the NTSB investigation might take as long as a year, but, "If we do see a major safety concern, we typically issue urgent safety recommendations."
Related stories:
- Freighter crash attributed to engine failure - December 15, 1996
- 'It just kept coming' - December 15, 1996
- Ship slams into New Orleans riverfront mall - December 14, 1996
Related sites:
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- COSCO Shipping
- U. S. Maritime Administration
- Maritime Global Net
- Port of New Orleans
- USCG Marine Safety and Environmental Protection
- Merchant Marine & Maritime Pages
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