The US Coast Guard this week released audiotapes from radio traffic, recorded around the time that an amphibious “Ride the Ducks” tourist boat was struck by a barge on the Delaware River in Philadelphia.  The tapes give some indication about the kind of mayhem that surrounded the moment when a barge plowed through a stalled tourist boat.  The boat sank, and all passengers on the boat fell into the water.  Two Hungarian tourists were killed.

As you listen to the tapes, the first indication of trouble comes from one shocked vessel operator who sees the barge plowing into the boat.  That is followed by other vessel owners in the area, alerting the Coast Guard to the fact that the boat has sunk, and the passengers are struggling in the water.  The Coast Guard then alerts other vessels in the area that about 30 passengers from the boat in the water, and asks vessels to look out for them.  Soon, the Coast guard instructs the crewmembers of the tug that was towing the barge, to throw life jackets and life rings into the water to the passengers, who are now struggling to stay alive.

As a maritime lawyer, I find it worrying that other amphibious tourist boats that are operated by the Ride the Duck Company, will soon be on the water.  The company suspended operations after the accident.  One boat was sent out for testing this week.  However, the company hopes that soon all the other boats will be back on the water.  I believe it’s necessary that we wait for the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board to complete their investigations into this maritime accident before allowing more of these boats on the water.  There are several safety questions here that need answering, and until we have these answers, I don’t think we should be sending these tourist boats out there.

Image Courtesy: Flickr – CJ Schmit