Severe weather caused an overwhelming towline force and unrecoverable heeling that led to the capsizing and sinking of a towing vessel near Galveston, Texas, last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.
On May 13, 2024, while towing the barge MARMAC 27 astern on an 800 foot long wire, the towing vessel Baylor J. Tregre encountered severe weather, listed to port, capsized and sank.
The four-person crew abandoned the vessel into a liferaft and were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. One crewmember sustained minor injuries. There was no pollution reported. Damage to the towing vessel was estimated at $2 million.
According to the mate, the wind intensified suddenly as the vessel transited at 4 knots. Unable to avoid the storm, the mate attempted to steer the Baylor J. Tregre so that the tow would be downwind.
However, the force of the wind on the tow rapidly pushed the barge to the south of the
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