On Jan. 11, 2025, at 2:50 a.m., the integrated tug and barge Krystal Sea/Cordova Provider was transiting Prince William Sound when the four lines connecting the tug to the barge parted, causing the barge to uncouple from the tug. The barge drifted, eventually grounding on the coast of Axel Lind Island, Alaska, about 6:35 a.m.
There were no injuries, and no pollution was reported. The barge Cordova Provider, valued at $2.9 million, was declared a constructive total loss by the vessel’s owner. The Krystal Sea was not damaged.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the grounding of the barge Cordova Provider was due to shock loading that led to the parting of the push lines connecting the Cordova Provider to the tug Krystal Sea.
This was not the first time the ITB has found trouble in Alaskan waters. On July 28, 2013, Krystal Sea/Cordova Provider with four crewmembers on board was maneuvering to dock at the Alaska Marine Lines pier in Cordova, Alaska, when the bow ramp of the barge struck the moored U.S. Coast Guard cutter Sycamore at the adjacent pier. The Sycamore, with 11 crewmembers on board, suffered about $244,000 in damage. The Cordova Provider’s bow ramp sustained about $5,000 in damage. No injuries or pollution were reported. At the time, the tug Krystal Sea was owned by Bering Marine Corp., Anchorage, Alaska.
