20 AUGUST 2018 • FOGHORN COAST GUARD NEWS The European World Leader, proudly serving America's finest ! Reservations, Check-In, Port Automation, ePoS Reservations, Check-In, Port Automation, ePoS We care about your Customers Worldwide, we serve over 33 million passengers, 5 million vehicles and over a million cargo units annually. From whale watching to fine dining and from bay crossings to ocean voyages; Carus has the answer. www.carus.com The European World Leader, The U.S. Coast Guard Commandant has convened a formal Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) into the loss of the U.S.-flagged amphibious passenger vessel, Stretch Duck 07, which occurred on Thursday, July 19 with 17 casu- alties and 14 survivors. A comman- dant-directed formal Marine Board of Investigation is the highest-level inves- tigation in the Coast Guard. The marine board consists of five members who will investigate all aspects of the casualty including, but not limited to, the pre-accident his- torical events relating to the accident, the regulatory compliance of Stretch Coast Guard Commandant Convenes Marine Board of Investigation into Loss of Stretch Duck 07 Duck 07, crewmember duties and qualifications, weather conditions and reporting, and Coast Guard oversight. “Our hearts go out to the victims as well as the families and friends that have been impacted by this terrible tragedy that occurred in Branson,” said Capt. Wayne Arguin, chairman of the Marine Board of Investigation. “The Coast Guard will conduct a thorough and detailed investigation to identify all potential causal factors associated with this tragedy.” During the course of the MBI, panel members must decide: • The factors that contributed to the accident; • Whether there is evidence that any act of misconduct, inattention to duty, negligence or willful violation of the law on the part of any licensed or certificated person contributed to the casualty; and • Whether there is evidence that any Coast Guard personnel or any rep- resentative or employee of any other government agency or any other person caused or contributed to the casualty. In advance of the investigation’s findings, Rear Admiral John Nadeau, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, sent a Marine Safety Information Bulletin to all Officers in Charge of Marine Inspection (OCMI), as well as vessel owners, operators, and masters, to review routes and conditions, review company operations manuals, conduct extensive crew training and drills, and encourage companies to have a proactive approach to vessel oversight. Both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Coast Guard have agreed that, at this time, the NTSB will lead the marine casualty in- vestigation effort with the Coast Guard joining as an equal partner, in accor- dance with Joint Federal Regulations. n Reprinted from “Coast Guard Commons”