# Inquiry finds captain’s inexperience in fleeting areas led to sinking – Professional Mariner

> The NTSB determined that a towboat sank near LaPlace, Louisiana, in March 2019 after its captain lacked experience in fleeting areas during high water. All five crew members escaped and were rescued, and property damage was about $1.5 million. The report cites the captain's inexperience as the leading cause.

- Date: 2020-08-03 · published 2020-08-03T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/51511-inquiry-finds-captain-s-inexperience-in-fleeting-areas-led-to-sinking
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md)

## Why it matters

The accident report highlights navigation risks in high-water fleeting areas on the lower Mississippi, but it does not change current barge capacity or grain flows, so the price impact is negligible.

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2017-01-30 | [NTSB: ‘Downstreaming’ in swift current led to fatal capsizing – Professional Mariner](https://feedsoft.ai/events/72902-ntsb-downstreaming-in-swift-current-led-to-fatal-capsizing-professional-mariner.md) | +2.0% | +1.2% |
| CORN | 2018-11-30 | [Barge string breaks free after towboat hits Upper Mississippi dike – Professional Mariner](https://feedsoft.ai/events/61946-barge-string-breaks-free-after-towboat-hits-upper-mississippi-dike-professional.md) | +8.0% | +8.5% |
| CORN | 2019-10-01 | [‘Unprecedented’ flooding idles barges, raises dredging concerns – Professional Mariner](https://feedsoft.ai/events/56463-unprecedented-flooding-idles-barges-raises-dredging-concerns-professional.md) | +1.5% | -0.6% |
| CORN | 2018-04-25 | [Damaged lock forces closure of Mississippi River in Illinois – Professional Mariner](https://feedsoft.ai/events/65675-damaged-lock-forces-closure-of-mississippi-river-in-illinois-professional.md) | +2.4% | +5.0% |
| CORN | 2022-07-27 | [Ukraine's Odessa port set to see first corn shipment since Russia's invasion \| S&P Global](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14473-ukraine-s-odessa-port-set-to-see-first-corn-shipment-since-russia-s-invasion-s.md) | +3.1% | +5.3% |
| SOY | 2017-01-30 | [NTSB: ‘Downstreaming’ in swift current led to fatal capsizing – Professional Mariner](https://feedsoft.ai/events/72902-ntsb-downstreaming-in-swift-current-led-to-fatal-capsizing-professional-mariner.md) | -2.1% | -3.6% |
| SOY | 2018-11-30 | [Barge string breaks free after towboat hits Upper Mississippi dike – Professional Mariner](https://feedsoft.ai/events/61946-barge-string-breaks-free-after-towboat-hits-upper-mississippi-dike-professional.md) | +3.3% | -0.5% |
| SOY | 2019-10-01 | [‘Unprecedented’ flooding idles barges, raises dredging concerns – Professional Mariner](https://feedsoft.ai/events/56463-unprecedented-flooding-idles-barges-raises-dredging-concerns-professional.md) | +1.0% | +1.6% |

## Sources

- professionalmariner.com: https://professionalmariner.com/inquiry-finds-captains-inexperience-in-fleeting-areas-led-to-sinking/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.