Ferry captain lost 'situational awareness' before vessel's 'hard landing' at West Seattle terminal
The captain of the Cathlamet ferry lost "situational awareness" before the vessel collided with an offshore dolphin at the Fauntleroy ferry terminal in July of 2022, according to an internal report conducted by Washington State Ferries.
After the vessel hit the dolphin - a structure that guides docking ferries - the captain asked the quartermaster, "What happened? What happened?" according to interviews conducted after the incident. The reason the captain may have lost awareness is unknown, as he refused to answer questions during the investigation.
"However, we can conclude that his loss of situational awareness was the primary cause of this incident, and that absent this loss of situational awareness, the allision would most likely not have occurred," the report concludes.
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The collision occurred on July 24, 2022. The Cathlamet "did not slow its speed" as it approached the dock, traveling at approximately 15 knots at the time, according to the report.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ferry-captain-lost-situational-awareness-before-vessel-s-hard-landing-at-west-seattle-terminal/ar-AA19hp8k