The U-S Coast Guard says Monday’s ferry accident in Petersburg was not caused by a mechanical problem. What did cause the Matanuska to run bow-first into the Ocean Beauty Seafoods dock was still under investigation as of Thursday morning, according to Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Ryan Erickson.
“Well, we’re finishing up our verbal interviews right now. They should be finished up today, maybe through tomorrow morning and we’ve ruled out any mechanical deficiencies from the vessel. So, no mechanical factors contributed to the collision, or the allision, rather, with the dock,” Erickson said.
An allision is the nautical term for an incident in which a moving vessel hits a stationary one. No one was injured during Monday’s accident, but there was substantial damage to the seafood processor’s dock. The Alaska Marine Highway System said the ferry did not have significant damage. The bow was visibly scraped and dented above the waterline. Marine Highway officials apologized to Ocean Beauty and credited the Matanuska’s crew for taking the proper actions after the incident. The Coast Guard cleared the vessel and crew to continue on their voyage a few hours afterwards.
