The NTSB found that the Houston pilot directing the 656-foot bulk carrier had been engaged in a non-operational phone call with another pilot for 39 minutes leading up to the accident. Although the call ended just over two minutes before impact, investigators concluded it distracted the pilot long enough for him to lose awareness of the towing vessel ahead.
Full NTSB report here: Collision of Bulk Carrier Yangze 7 and Towing Vessel Miss Peggy
Edit: the link above is not the full report - it’s here https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2624.pdf
Interesting report and not a good look for the pilot for being on the phone and then refusing to speak to the NTSB. Not good for the Captain of Miss Peggy either. Unfortunate for the Captain and Second Mate too, I would have liked to be a fly on the wall if they had asked the pilot to stop using his phone.
It also shows speculating on an incident without the full facts is really just speculation. See other thread on this for when the accident took place.
Guess the legal side will kick off now.
Unfortunately on many foreign ships they are loathe to ask the pilot. Curious to see the outcome of the lawsuit.
Why the “foreign”? Are there any evidence that it is different on US-flag ships?
From purely anecdotal evidence, from my own experience, I have noticed that non American crews are more “agreeable “ and less confrontational than American crews. Although there are exceptions, a foreign captain relayed to me the story of coming up the Mississippi River, and the pilot took his phone out to call someone. The captain told him “Mr. pilot. I don’t allow my crew to have Cell phones on the bridge and I ask that you put it away”. According to the captain, the pilot went ballistic and started yelling and screaming saying he was going to take the ship to anchor and the captain said go ahead I’m calling the Coast Guard and you can explain to the Coast Guard why you’re talking on the phone instead of piloting the ship. Needless to say, the captain stated, the pilot put away his phone and continued on, but this is a rare exception.
Granted in foreign waters, it may be reversed as the American captain will go along to get along just to get his ship the heck out of there.
You mean an American captain will only “go along to get along” on to get out of foreign ports? What about, like in you story from the Mississippi River, trying to get into port?
I would think most Masters want to get his ship safely both in and out of ports, regardless of their nationality. Maybe shouting at the Pilot is not the right way. A little diplomacy may be a better way of ensuring that.
I agree that smartphone use should be banned on the bridge during pilotage. Judging on the incidents reported from around the world, where serious accidents has occurred where use of phones has been suspected of being a contributing factor, if not the actual cause.
