NTSB Issues Report on Selendang AYU Casualty

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its report on the grounding of the bulk carrier Selendang AYU on Unalaska Island on December 8, 2004. The ship broke up following the grounding, releasing approximately 1,000 metric tons of fuel and 60,200 metric tons of its cargo of soybeans into waters of the Bering Sea. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the casualty was the failure of the ship’s main engine. Contributing factors included the inability of the crew to restart the engine and the inability of responding vessels to effect a tow. Source: HK Law