Royal Engineer underway on unknown date before the contact.

Royal Engineer underway on unknown date before the contact.(Source: Lisa Kolibabek)

Contact of Crane on board Royal Engineer Tow with Terminal Cargo Crane

What Happened

​On January 4, 2024, about 1620 local time, the towing vessel Royal Engineer was transiting the Cooper River near North Charleston, South Carolina, while pushing the crane barge Stevens 1471 when the barge crane contacted a ship to shore crane at the North Charleston Terminal. There were no injuries, and no pollution was reported. Damage to the terminal’s crane was estimated to be over $4.5 million.

What We Found

​We determined that the probable cause of the contact of the crane barge Stevens 1471 with a North Charleston Terminal ship to-shore crane was the towing vessel mate not identifying that the ship-to-shore crane was an overhead hazard when he decided to maneuver the tow through a confined area between a dredge and a vessel conducting cargo operations. ​

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Lessons Learned

​​Identifying that Ship-to-shore Cranes May be an Overhead Hazard

Ship-to-shore cranes, when conducting cargo operations on a vessel and in the lowered position, may extend considerably beyond the side of the vessel and become a hazard to vessels with high air drafts transiting nearby. Mariners should always consider their vessel and tow’s air draft when identifying hazards to navigation.

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