Canal Barge case (2009) - US law - Crew's failure to report hazardous condition aboard vessel

US law - Crew’s failure to report hazardous condition aboard vessel

The Canal Barge case from 2009 seems far less serious then what is happening with Bouchard B-255, anyone know anything about this case?

The Canal Barge case7 involved criminal charges brought against the owners of a barge, its shoreside manager, and two employee tug boat captains for failure to immediately report a hazardous condition to the USCG. The hazardous condition in question was a crack in the vessel’s hull, from which some of the cargo of benzene leaked. The captain on duty reported the crack and leak to the shoreside manager and ordered the crack be patched with soap. The shoreside manager suggested more substantial (but not permanent) patching of the crack. Another captain working on the tug became aware of the crack and the repairs. No one reported the crack to the USCG until the patch failed while the barge was being handled by another tug boat company four days later.

The USCG brought three criminal charges against the barge owner, the shoreside manager, and both captains: 1. wilful failure to report the hazardous condition, 2. negligent failure to report the hazardous condition, and 3. conspiracy to violate the reporting requirement regulation.