On the morning of October 29, 2011 the National Transportation Board stated the pilot of a 799ft chemical tanker, Elka Appolon, contained Naptha and 24 crew memebers collided with the 782ft container ship, MSC Nederland, containing 1023 containers near the intersection of Bayport Ship Channel.
The pilot of the Elka Apollon gave his crew left rudder orders in attempt to avoid the towboat, which was pushing a fuel barge, sending the Elka Apollon to the left in the same direction of the in bound MSC Nederland. The next orders the pilot gave the crew of the Elka Apollon was a hard starboard rudder to avoid the MSC Nederland. The pilot of the MSC Nederland realized Elka Apollon was headed straight for his ship and gave an emergency full ahead and hard to port order in attempt to avoid the bow of the Elka Apollon. Even with both pilots attempting to avoid a collision the Elka Apollon’s port bow area and MSC Nederland’s port side on the main deck level collided. The impact caused three of the shipping containers from the MSC Nederland to fall on the forward deck of the Elka Apollon. One of the containers that ended up on the Elka Apollon contained tractor equipment leaking hydraulic fluid onto the deck. In this event there were no injuries reported by the crew members, but in the case where there were injuries to crew members they would have rights for compensation for injuries, pain, and suffering under the Jones Act.
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