A towing vessel grounded on a submerged jetty last year after the captain maneuvered too close to a bank of the Ohio River, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.

The towing vessel Tom Frazier was pushing 15 empty hopper barges near Portsmouth, Ohio, on Feb. 10, 2024, when the vessel grounded, damaging the vessel’s hull plating, framing and bulkheads and flooding several spaces.

The nine-person crew was safely evacuated to shore. An estimated five gallons of oil were released and the vessel sustained damage estimated at more than $250,000.

​As the Tom Frazier tow approached the U.S. Grant Bridge, the captain made passing arrangements with another tow. The Tom Frazier’s captain maneuvered the tow to port, toward the right descending bank, to facilitate the passing.

The maneuver was outside the charted 9-foot-depth contour line and too close to two stone jetties, which were submerged at the time.

The jetties were charted on the electronic navigation chart and visible on the vessel’s electronic charting system, but the captain did not identify the hazard.

Marine Investigation Report 25-23​ is available online.

Marine Insight