National Transportation Safety Board Marine Accident Report: Ramming of the EadsBridge by Barges in Tow of the M/V Anne Holly with Subsequent Ramming and Near Breakaway of the President Casino on the Admiral, St. Louis Harbor, Missouri, April 4, 1998

摘要

On April 4, 1998, a tow of the M/V Anne Holly, which was traveling northbound onthe Mississippi River through the St. Louis Harbor, struck the Missouri-side pier of the center span of the Eads Bridge. Eight barges broke away and drifted back through the Missouri span. Three of these barges drifted toward the President Casino on the Admiral (Adrmiral), a permanently moored gaming vessel below the bridge on the Missouri side of the river. The drifting barges struck the moored Admiral, causing most of its mooring lines to break. The admiral then rotated away from the Missouri riverbank. The captain of the Anne Holly disengaged his vessel from the remaining barges in the two and placed the Anne Holly's bow against the Admiral's bow to hold it against the bank. No deaths resulted from the accident; 50 people were examined for minor injuries. Of those examined, 16 were sent to local hospitals for further treatment. The safety issues discussed in the report are: the advisability of the Anne Holly captain's decision to make the upriver transit and the effectiveness of safety management oversight on the part of American Milling, L.P.; the effectiveness of safety measures provided for the permanently moored vessel President Casino on the Admiral; and the adequacy of public safety for permanently moored vessels.