It was 6 p.m. in Baltimore, and the crew of Ever Forward was readying the ship for an overnight trip down the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk, Va. Other than a slight delay with line handlers, the ship departed without incident. Two hours out of the harbor, the 1,000-footer with almost 5,000 containers stacked high on its decks made a turn to the south, leaving the Patapsco River and heading toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The pilot knew the river and bay waters well. Only three more gentle turns in the Craighill Channel would line up the ship between the bridge’s twin center spans.
Unfortunately, the ship wouldn’t pass under the bridge that evening. At approximately
8:18 p.m., the ship missed the turn at lighted red buoy 18, running hard aground outside the dredged channel. An experienced bay pilot and professional crew, all with sophisticated navigational equipment at their disposal, had somehow allowed the ship to bury itself into the shell-encrusted mud bottom of the Chesapeake Bay. It would take more than a month, and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on dredging and container removal, to lighten the load so the Ever Forward could be freed.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard accident report, the pilot was found to be preoccupied with mobile phone calls, texts and an email for much of the time after leaving Baltimore.
My first thought after reading the report was disbelief—not only that a professional pilot could make such a mistake, but also that the ship’s crew didn’t realize what was happening and alter the course themselves. The ship’s log shows that at 8:17 p.m., the third officer announced on the bridge that the vessel’s heading was 161 degrees at approximately 13 knots. The pilot verbally acknowledged the third officer, but took no action. The third officer stated in the report, “The pilot was still looking at his phone at this time.” The ship ran aground just one minute later, at 8:18 p.m.
My second thought was a realization of the frightening ease with which this scenario was actually possible. This story is a wake-up call to us all. I, too, have been in that pilot’s shoes, and I, too, have been distracted by my phone and missed turns as a result.
The increasing prevalence of mobile phones, tablets, smart watches and other connected devices creates a dangerous distraction not only for recreational boaters, but clearly for professionals as well. The risks are numerous and serious, and can lead to accidents, injuries and even fatalities.
One of the biggest risks is the loss of situational awareness. When a boat operator is focused on a phone instead of the water, he or she may fail to notice hazards such as other boats, obstacles or a planned turn in a route—any of which can lead to collisions or groundings, putting property and lives at risk.
Another danger is impaired decision-making. When you are distracted by your phone, and something pulls your attention back to the task of handling your boat, it takes a moment to get your head back in the game. Informed decisions are required in response to changing conditions or emergencies. Those decisions become harder to make. This can lead to delays in taking action or to poor decision-making.
As to the helm crew of the Ever Forward realizing they may have been in trouble, but not altering course themselves, the report cites a possible cultural and hierarchical resistance to calling out the mistakes of a senior officer. We all can easily fall prey to this on our own boats. While I may be the captain at the helm, friends and family know that when they’re aboard, they have my permission to notify me if they see something I’ve missed. My wife, Dori, has saved our bacon more than once by drawing my attention to a marker or another boat I may not have seen.
In the aftermath of the Ever Forward grounding, maritime agencies are considering the implementation of red zones. These would be areas designated as having increased risk, areas where an extraordinary level of attention is deemed necessary to navigate safely. While in a red zone, use of electronic communication devices like mobile phones at the helm would be strictly prohibited (except in emergencies).
We will be implementing a similar policy aboard our boat, Liberdade. For us, red zones could include inlets or intersecting channels—especially ones with an increased number of boats. Examples that come to mind in our cruising are the Elizabeth River through Norfolk, Va.; New York Harbor and the East River; and Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts. Our zones would also include the confines of marina basins, and certainly while docking. Dori and I have commented more than once about how friends who are watching us on approach intentionally call us just when we’re about to dock the boat.
All boaters should consider implementing a red-zone policy on their boats. With a record number of boats on the water—many operated by boaters with limited experience—it’s even more important stay alert in busy or confined waterways.
This article was originally published in the July/August 2023 issue.
