Boston Ferry Collision - Yesterday

Yesterday, I posted information over on gCaptain's discoverer news service (I am wb6nah there) relating to the above incident which happened earlier that morning in heavy fog. Today video was made available as the first investigators arrived on scene. The damage is obvious.

There is a lot of hand wringing going on about the lack of AIS (automatic identification system - a transponder) and the use of the VHF (radio.) Several blogs I follow have posts today relating to the incident; gCaptain Blog and Panbo (the marine electronics blog.)

More basic to the discussion about electronics that might have prevented the collision should be the following of the 72 ColRegs (Rules of the Road.)

The rules simply state that no vessel has the right of way in the fog; that a vessel should maintain bare steerage way when they hear a fog signal, apparently forward of their beam; and that if in doubt, you should, slow down, stop, or reverse to further assess the situation. Additional rules speak to the use of radar and maintaining of a watch by all available means.

Particularly troubling is that the Coast Guard learned of the collision from the Massachusetts State Police who received a 911 call from a passenger.

See more news stories on the collision HERE.