File photo/The Times-Picayune.The Liberian flag flies from the stern of the Bright Field on Dec. 15, 1996, the day after it crashed into the Poydras Street wharf and the Riverwalk. The 'flag of convenience' offered by Liberia attracts shipping companies from around the world.

Times-Picayune
Aug. 11, 1998
By Keith Darce

But the Liberian Bureau of Maritime Affairs will not penalize the ship's operator, Cosco Shipping Co., because the agency said the Chinese firm already faces enough sanctions from the U.S. Coast Guard following the ship's crash into the Riverwalk mall in December 1996.

OFFICIAL INVESTIGATIONS Three agencies have issued reports evaluating the cause of the Bright Field accident U.S. Coast Guard Report: Dec. 18, 1997 Key recommendations: Make crews accountable for reporting engine problems to the Coast Guard; move passenger vessels away from downtown New Orleans wharves; use tugboats to escort cargo ships on dangerous bend at Algiers Point; install a vessel tracking system along the river. Penalties: Six civil charges against the ship's operator, Cosco Shipping Co., that could result in more than $800,000 in fines. National Transportation Safety Board Report: Jan. 13, 1998 Key recommendations: Extend the Hilton Hotel wharf at least 50 more feet into the river; consider moving passenger vessels away from downtown wharves; conduct a comprehensive study of safety issues along the lower Mississippi River. Penalties: None. The NTSB is an investigative body with no law enforcement powers. Liberian Bureau of Maritime Affairs Report: Aug. 7, 1998 Key recommendations: Set standards for testing automated machinery control systems onboard cargo vessels; create standards for communication systems linking a ship's pilothouse with crew on the bow. Penalties: Ship's two chief engineers will be investigated for possible negligence. If found guilty, the Chinese nationals could lose their licenses to sail on Liberian-flagged vessels.

A spokesman for the New Orleans Coast Guard district, which issued its own report on the accident in December, said his office was ``disappointed'' the Liberian government isn't pursuing penalties against Cosco.

The Coast Guard in April charged Cosco with six civil charges that could result in fines topping $800,000. No other penalties have been issued against the company, which also faces liability in several pending federal lawsuits.

A spokesman for the Liberian bureau's U.S. office in Reston, Va., defended the agency's decision, saying no further sanctions were warranted considering Cosco's largely unblemished sailing record before and after the Bright Field wreck.

``The United States is levying some heavy penalties'' on Cosco, said Dennis Haise, a port-state control specialist for the bureau.

``There is no question that Cosco bears some responsibility for the accident, but there is no need to add insult to injury,'' he said. ``They are not a bad performer in our eyes. It's not as if we are letting them off the hook.''

New Orleans Port President J. Ron Brinson agreed, saying the Liberian bureau's actions are appropriate.

The accident ``was a surprising anomaly,'' the port chief said. ``I think the Coast Guard and the U.S. district court are going to deal with this.''

Cosco, which is still a periodic customer of the New Orleans port, has announced plans to increase business along Gulf of Mexico shipping lines, Brinson said.

Cosco is a major customer for Liberia, a so-called ``flag of convenience'' nation on the West African coast whose maritime regulatory system attracts a large number of ships from around the world that call Liberia home.

Liberia is the flag of more than 38 ships for Cosco, Haise said.

The bureau's 42-page report pointed to a string of errors by the engineers and Cosco managers that caused the 735-foot vessel to briefly lose power as it sailed downriver under the Crescent City Connection and then rammed into the riverfront mall, the Hilton Riverside hotel and a garage on Dec. 14, 1996.

Although no one was killed or seriously injured, the accident caused about $17 million in damage and attracted national attention.

The 68,000-ton Bright Field, whose name was changed to the Bright City earlier this year, narrowly missed a pair of cruise ships and the Flamingo riverboat casino, both docked near the Riverwalk and carrying nearly 2,000 passengers.

The Liberian report was the last of three investigative reports issued on the accident. The others came from the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board.

All of the reports concluded that poor maintenance and operation of the ship's oil system caused the vessel's main oil pump to fail as it sailed through New Orleans, tripping the engine and sending the freighter drifting into a crowded downtown section of the river's east bank.

The reports painted a picture of a tired and frustrated crew that was anxious to get home after falling behind schedule by more than a month.

The Liberian report, completed July 28 and released Friday, specifically cited chief engineer Liu Qing Zhu for failing to refill the engine's crankcase fully after changing the oil while the ship was at sea prior to the accident.

Chief Engineer Fang Jin Yun also was cited for failing to make sure the oil was at a proper level before the ship got under way on the morning of the crash.

Cosco managers fired Liu shortly after the ship arrived in Louisiana for failing to carry out company orders, and they replaced him with Fang.

The Liberian inquiry next will consider whether the engineers were guilty of negligence. The Reston office will conduct hearings on those charges. Haise said he did not know when a decision on the engineers' licenses will be made.

The report also said Cosco failed to supervise properly the testing and maintenance of the engine's lube system in the months leading up to the accident, and for not providing enough oil to adequately refill the ship's crankcase.

The report blamed the engineers and the company for chronic engine problems that plagued the ship's journey from Singapore to Louisiana.

Like the other two investigating bodies, the Liberian bureau found that ship Capt. Deng Jing Quan and local Mississippi River pilot Ted Davisson, who was steering the freighter at the time of the accident, did everything possible to avoid the accident and minimize damage once the engine failed.

© 1998,  The Times-Picayune

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