On June 15, 2022, about 0400 local time, the towing vessel Karen Koby was towing the crane barge Ambition when the barge capsized and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, about 48 miles southeast of Cameron, Louisiana. There were no persons on the barge, and none of the Karen Koby’s four crew were injured. The Ambition was partly submerged in about 54 feet of water, where it was later salvaged. The sunken barge released an estimated 1,980 gallons of oil. The Ambition and its crane were determined to be a total loss, with damages estimated at $6.3 million.
We determined that the probable cause of the capsizing and sinking of the crane barge Ambition was the barge owner’s lack of hull inspection and maintenance, and not conducting permanent repairs, which resulted in the failure of the hull and subsequent flooding. Contributing was likely downflooding through an open deck hatch due to the tow operator’s failure to ensure adherence to its procedures for barge watertight integrity before getting underway, despite being aware of deficiencies with the watertight integrity of the barge.
