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Tug-Barge Operations

Court-recognized experts at Fisher Maritime include USCG-licensed captains with considerable first-hand experience in the operation of a wide spectrum of tug/barge equipment.  We regularly analyze and reconstruct incidents involving tugs and barges, and have done so for over 32 years, providing technical advice and expert witness services. The effectiveness of our expert reports and depositions is evidenced by the fact that, in a majority of cases in which we have been involved, litigation has been settled before going to trial.

We have analyzed, reported on, been deposed, and testified in many courts in connection with subjects including navigation, piloting, seamanship, shiphandling, rules of the road, meteorology, vessel stability, vessel management, cargo handling, and more.  Representative matters in which the services of Fisher Maritime have been retained include the following.

Injury During Towing Vessel Sea Trials

A case that entailed a personal injury claim in connection with an incident that occurred aboard a towing vessel, which represented the “Tug” component of a newly constructed Articulated Tug/Barge (“ATB”) by a Sturgeon Bay, WI shipyard.  At the time of the subject incident, the vessel was undergoing operational “sea trials” while underway in the Green Bay, WI waters of Lake Michigan.  The plaintiff was aboard the tug as a service technician for a shipbuilding subcontractor that had installed the tug’s steering gear, to observe and confirm proper operation of that gear.  During customary sea trial maneuvers in which a vessel’s rudder is swung to its “hard-over” maximum angle in both directions while at full speed, the plaintiff lost his balance during the resulting side-to-side rolling motion, and slid into a bulkhead in the tug’s galley area, sustaining injury.  Fisher Maritime was engaged to review and analyze video, vessel and shipyard record evidence produced in discovery, and to provide expertise in subjects that included customary sea trial plans and procedures, as well as other customary towing vessel operation and shiphandling procedures.

Tug/Barge Flotilla Collides with Disabled Recreational Vessel

A case that entailed wrongful death claims in connection with a collision that occurred between a towboat pushing nine (9) loaded bulk materials barges ahead and a recreational vessel, which collision resulted in, among other things, two fatalities.  The barges were under the control of a western rivers-style towboat and the towboat and its barges had just locked through and departed from the Wilson Lock and Dam installation between mile marker 259 and 260 on the Tennessee River in Florence, AL, That flotilla was proceeding in the easterly “upriver” direction when they overran a 22-foot pontoon craft that had experienced an engine failure.  Fisher Maritime was engaged to review and analyze information produced in discovery, perform vessel and site inspections, and provide expertise in subjects that included nighttime river navigation, statutory rules of the road and lock transit procedures, as well as other customary towing vessel operation and shiphandling procedures.

Barge Collision Analysis

A case that entailed a damages claim in connection with a collision between the one tugboat towing a barge astern and a barge being pushed ahead by another tugboat, which collision occurred in the waters of Long Island Sound between Bridgeport, CT and New Haven, CT.  Fisher Maritime was engaged to review and analyze information produced in discovery and to provide expertise in subjects that included navigation and piloting, statutory rules of the road, other customary towing vessel operation and shiphandling procedures, and maritime doctrine inherent in the Pennsylvania Rule.

Western Rivers Towboat Allides with Railroad Bridge

A case that entailed a damages claim in connection with an incident involving a western rivers towboat underway with three loaded sand barges upon the waters of the Cumberland River near Nashville, TN.  The three barges of the tow were lashed together end-to-end in a “3-in-line” configuration and the towing vessel was attached to the stern of the rearmost barge, pushing the tow ahead.  The towboat was attempting to navigate its tow through the north opening of a railroad swing bridge at river mile 190.4 when an allision occurred in which one of the barges in the tow struck one of the bridge’s freestanding “rest” pier structures.  The rest pier structure was demolished and knocked into the river and two of the barges in the tow sustained damage.  Fisher Maritime was engaged to review and analyze information produced in discovery, Fisher Maritime was engaged to review and analyze information produced in discovery, perform vessel and site inspections, and provide expertise in subjects that included barge tow configurations and towing vessel power, as well as other customary towing vessel operation and shiphandling procedures, and maritime doctrine inherent in the Oregon Rule.

Barge Anchors in Cable Area

A case that entailed a claim for costs of repairs in connection with an incident involving a tugboat pushing a barge ahead in a westward direction upon the waters of Long Island Sound and bound for a terminal within the Port of New York. Upon encountering fog conditions, the tug’s captain stopped the tow and ordered the barge’s anchor dropped in the vicinity of Hempstead Harbor to await clearing and better visibility.  At the time the anchor was dropped, the tug/barge unit was within an area expressly marked as a “Cable Area” on the official navigational chart, representing it to be an area in which electrical power transmission cables are installed beneath the seabed.  In the process of being deployed into the seabed, the barge’s anchor struck a power transmission cables, damaging it and causing some of the cable’s internal oil to escape into the water.  Fisher Maritime was engaged to review and analyze information produced in discovery, perform vessel inspections and provide expertise in subjects that included navigation and piloting, anchoring procedures, statutory anchoring regulations and other customary towing vessel operation procedures.

Towing Vessel Sinks After Allision with Moored Construction Barge

A case that entailed damages and wrongful death claims in connection with an allision involving a moored construction barge and the subsequent sinking of a towing vessel while engaged in towing a very large crane barge southbound in the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey at the site of the new Tappan Zee Bridge that was then under construction.  The towing vessel that sank was one of three (3) towing vessels that were made up to and participating in the crane barge tow at the time.  Fisher Maritime was engaged to review and analyze information produced in discovery and to provide expertise in subjects that included statutory regulations with regard to proper placement of navigation lights on moored barges such as the N181, as well as other customary towing vessel operation procedures.

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Fisher International Maritime Consultants, LLC (“FIMC”)