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| Lt. Cmdr. Teresa Hatfield, the Coast Guard's lead investigating officer for the collision, leads the hearing at the Galveston County Criminal Justice Center Thursday, June 5, 2014. Videos include the closing remarks, an interview with Lt. Cmdr. Hatfield and b-roll from the hearing. U.S. Coast Guard photos and video by Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Kendrick. |
HOUSTON — Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board investigators closed a formal hearing in Galveston Thursday, that was held to gather facts that led to the March 22 collision and subsequent 168,000 gallon oil spill near the Texas City Dike.
The purpose of the Coast Guard marine casualty investigation and formal board hearing is to examine the causes of a marine casualty, make recommendations to help avoid a similar incident, improve overall maritime transportation safety, and promote safety of life and property at sea.
Investigators heard from the captains of both the Miss Susan and the Summer Wind, which are the vessels that collided, as well as the captain of another vessel in the area when the collision occurred, a representative from the Houston Pilots and a few representatives from the Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Center in Houston.