FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 7, 1998 SB 98-14
NTSB TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON MARINE
SAFETY ISSUES PERTAINING TO HIGH-VOLUME
POPULATION CENTERS ON INLAND WATERWAYS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall today announced that the NTSB will hold a public hearing into marine safety issues pertaining to passenger vessels, gaming vessels and structures like hotels and shopping malls located on busy inland waterways.
The action follows an accident that occurred Saturday evening, April 4, 1998, when barges came loose from their tow and struck the PRESIDENT CASINO ON THE ADMIRAL, a gaming vessel moored on the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri. The casino vessel partially lost its moorings, but was held to the dock by a tow boat. There were no serious injuries to the 2,300 persons aboard.
Sixteen months ago, the freighter BRIGHT FIELD lost power and smashed into the Riverwalk of New Orleans, narrowly missing a gaming vessel holding hundreds of persons, and damaging the mall and a hotel. The Board issued its final report on the BRIGHT FIELD accident in January of this year. Major recommendations issued by the Safety Board in that report dealt with the need for the Coast Guard and other major stakeholders in ports to determine and mitigate the risks posed to vessels and buildings from ramming by riverborne traffic.
"Both the New Orleans and the St. Louis accidents should provide our nation with a wake-up call about what could happen in our increasingly busy inland ports," Chairman Hall said. "It is not uncommon for gaming vessels, for example, to have hundreds if not thousands of persons aboard every night.
"The Board is concerned about the potential for many casualties in accidents like these," Chairman Hall continued. "We anticipate that our hearing will review the issue of gaming vessel safety. The problems surrounding the St. Louis accident will be reviewed, as may be other similar accidents."
The Board will announce details of the hearing, including dates, location and participants, in the near future.
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency charged with investigating serious transportation accidents. Safety recommendations resulting from its investigations may be issued at any time.
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NTSB Press Contacts: Terry Williams / Ted Lopatkiewicz
(202) 314-6100
[Mr. Williams is currently on-scene with the Board’s Go-Team in St. Louis. He may be contacted at the Regal Riverfront Hotel, 200 S. 4th Street, St. Louis; (314) 241-9500]