Accident Report Detail

​On March 6, 2018, about 1630 local time, the uninspected towing vessel Ms Nancy C was moving and positioning cargo barges while operating in Everett Lake, a tributary of the Mississippi River, when a deckhand discovered water in a void at the stern of the vessel. While the captain and deckhand attempted to dewater the vessel, it sank in 15 feet of water. Both crewmembers disembarked to a barge prior to the sinking without injury. Damage was estimated at $667,306.

​The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the flooding and sinking of the towing vessel Ms Nancy C was inadequate maintenance of the vessel by Chocktaw Transportation Company, resulting in corrosion and the loss of watertight integrity on the main deck, which allowed uncontrolled water ingress into the vessel’s stern voids.