On October 12, 2023, at 2341 local time, the tugboat Olympic Scout was assisting the articulated tug and barge Montlake (tugboat) and Sodo (barge) as it headed outbound on the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma, Washington. As the vessels attempted to transit through the Hylebos Bridge, the starboard quarter of the Olympic Scout struck the bridge’s protective fender system. There were no injuries, and no pollution was reported. The Olympic Scout sustained superficial damage; the south side of the bridge’s fender system was damaged beyond repair and was replaced at a cost of $2.43 million.
We determined that the probable cause of the contact of the assist tugboat Olympic Scout with the Hylebos Bridge fender was the captain of the articulated tug and barge (ATB) Montlake/Sodo not stopping or slowing the ATB’s forward motion to correct the ATB’s lineup before attempting the bridge transit. Contributing to the severity of damage to the bridge’s fender system was the system’s deteriorated condition.
