NTSB report examines cause of Katmai tragedy

The National Transportation Safey Board has posted its report on the October 2008 sinking of the cod boat Katmai in Aleutian waters, killing seven crewmen. Here's the conclusion:

Probable cause

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the sinking of the Katmai was the loss of the vessel's watertight integrity because watertight doors from the main deck to the processing space and the lazarette were left open by the crew at a time when the vessel was overloaded and navigating in severe weather, which allowed water to enter the vessel resulting in progressive flooding and sinking. Contributing to the accident was the master's decision to continue fishing operations during the approach of severe weather rather than seeking shelter and to load twice the amount of cargo addressed in the vessel's stability report. Also contributing to the accident was the owner's failure to ensure that the stability information provided to the master was current and that the master understood it and operated the vessel accordingly.

The report's accident narrative makes for some riveting reading, unfortunately.

The NTSB report follows the U.S. Coast Guard investigative report released last year.

Katmai report now available

As we reported yesterday, the U.S. Coast Guard does indeed plan to hold a Friday event in Seattle to talk about the investigation into the Katmai sinking.

Meantime, the Coast Guard has gone ahead and posted the 136-page report publicly. Click here to see it. FYI, the document is a little slow to open.

Thirty-two recommendations start on page 2.

Here's the press release:

May 5, 2010

Coast Guard releases investigation report on fishing vessel Katmai

WASHINGTON — The Coast Guard on Tuesday released the final report of the investigation into the Oct. 22, 2008, sinking of the fishing vessel Katmai in Amchitka Pass, Alaska.

Of the 11 crew aboard the Katmai, four were rescued, five deceased crewmembers were recovered and two remain missing.

This Marine Board of Investigation was directed by the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. The investigation and public hearings were conducted in Anchorage and Seattle by investigators from the Coast Guard with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Investigators interviewed 24 witnesses including the four survivors, the vessel owners, the crew and captains of the fish-processing vessels Patricia Lee and Courageous, previous Katmai crewmembers, naval architects and Coast Guard fishing vessel examiners to gather facts about the Katmai's overall condition, operations and the events that led to the sinking.

Several primary causal factors that led to this casualty identified in the report include imprudent voyage planning; failure to maintain watertight boundaries; excessive loading of cargo in the vessel's fish hold; and exposure to heavy winds and high seas. The cause of flooding in the engine room remains unknown.

Recommendations in the report, aimed at preventing recurrence, include several regulatory and legislative changes focusing on inspection and stability requirements, licensing of fishing vessel masters and revising Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 28, which contains the specific requirements for commercial fishing industry vessels.

The Marine Board of Investigation members will meet with the Katmai crewmembers' next of kin or their legal representatives at 9 a.m. Friday at the Jackson Federal Building, Eagle Room, 915 2nd Ave., Seattle. This meeting is not open to the public or media.

The Coast Guard will hold a press briefing at 1 p.m. Friday.

Report on Katmai sinking could come out Friday

A U.S. Coast Guard spokesman tells Deckboss the investigative report into the sinking of the fishing vessel Katmai likely will be publicly released at an event Friday in Seattle.

The Katmai, you'll recall, sank with an 11-man crew and a load of cod in remote Aleutian waters west of Adak Island on Oct. 22, 2008.

Seven crewmen died while four others were rescued after a harrowing night on a wave-pummeled life raft.

Hal Bernton, a Seattle Times writer, wrote this article last week after obtaining an advance copy of the report, which authorities had sent to survivors and family members of the dead crewmen.

According to the article, the report appears to contain few if any surprises about what led to the boat's demise.

Those factors include an overloaded hold, flooding through an unsecured watertight door, and a poor decision to travel through rough weather, the article says.