Crashing in broad daylight

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation has revealed that the bridge watch officers on a bulk carrier and an offshore supply vessel failed to maintain proper lookouts before their vessels collided last year near Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

The incident occurred on July 23, 2022, when the bulk carrier Bunun Queen was heading eastbound in the Gulf of Mexico and the offshore supply vessel Thunder was traveling northbound. Just before 1:15 pm local time, the bulbous bow of the Bunun Queen, which was traveling on autopilot at 14.4 knots, struck the port side of the Thunder, which was traveling at 9 knots.

The collision resulted in significant damage to the Thunder’s port side, causing flooding in one of its propulsion rooms and three other areas.

Fortunately, there were no injuries or pollution reported, but the collision caused $12.3 million in damages to both vessels. – Full report