PORT ARTHUR — The Jan. 23 vessel collision and subsequent oil spill might have had a different outcome had a tractor tug been used to assist with maneuvering the Eagle Otome.

Sabine Pilot Capt. David Borden, who was onboard but not the “con,” or control, Pilot at the time of the incident, said in hindsight a tractor tug would have been the best tool to assist.

The Eagle Otome experienced at least four incidents of sheer during which the 807-foot vessel began to move off-course beginning near the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge.

Borden, who became an apprentice Pilot in 1997 and later went on to earn his licenses, testified during the second day of formal hearings regarding the Jan. 23, 2010 oil spill that closed the Sabine-Neches Waterway and spilled 462,000 gallons of oil into the channel.

Borden acted as con pilot earlier in the trip from the Sabine Pass jetties and handed off the job to fellow Sabine Pilot, Capt. Charles Bancroft.

For a fully loaded vessel the size of the Eagle Otome, a trip from the jetties down the Sabine-Neches Waterway and on to Beaumont takes, on average about eight hours for the 54 to 55-mile trip.

During the sheering incidents the Eagle Otome moved towards the western side of the bank, during what is known as “bank sucking.” One method to try and bring the vessel back on path is to use the rudder and the engine. Dropping the anchor is another possibility, but one Borden said he has never used in an emergency situation.

Borden recounted the events leading to the collision.

After passing control over to Bancroft, Borden sat in a small chair and read a newspaper, he said. At this time the Eagle Otome was passing under the bridge.

As the ship began to sheer, Bancroft reportedly asked Borden if he thought the ship would “come back” on path to which Borden answered “eventually.”

The ship continued to sheer as Bancroft worked to gain control over the vessel. The Pilot used the rudder and engine to reduce the speed and slowed to “half-ahead.”

As the situation progressed, Borden offered verbal comfort to his fellow pilot.

“Take care of the ship you’re on, don’t worry about the one at the dock,” Borden said to Bancroft.

The Eagle Otome inched closer to the Gull Arrow, docked at the Port of Port Arthur and Borden gave the slang command, “rapido” meaning full speed.

While Bancroft was working to gain control over the Eagle Otome, Borden moved aside and made a cell phone call to another vessel’s Pilot that was following them, alerting the Pilot of their situation.

When the decision was made to drop the starboard anchor, Borden worried the anchor would be pulled under the vessel or possibly strike an underwater pipe or cable.

While Borden made a call to the vessel behind the Eagle Otome, he did not make contact with the oncoming tug Dixie Vengeance that was pushing two barges.

Testimony during the formal hearing began on Tuesday with the Coast Guard introducing 14 exhibits and the National Transportation Safety Board brining forth one exhibit.

Vessel Traffic Service Training Director Scott Whalen testified and answered questions after an audio recording of ship-to-ship radio communication between the Eagle Otome and the Dixie Vengeance was played.

Pallava Shukla, Master of the Eagle Otome, testified to his personal experience and rest history and discussed the status of the vessel's equipment and weather conditions during the transit up to the point of the accident.

Chief Engineer A.T.K.M. Shahjalall testified concerning the status of the ships machinery before and after the incident.

He reported no alarms other than the emergency stop alarm sounded and that the ship's systems were performing satisfactorily after the incident.

Bancroft, the Sabine pilot who had control of the ship at the time of the incident, testified to his rest, maritime experience and training. He also spoke about weather conditions and visibility. The master-to-pilot exchange was also discussed during the testimony.

The formal hearing will continue on Thursday at the Holiday Inn Park Central.

mmeaux@panews.com