Videogames Blamed for Alaskan Tugboat Accident

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
45,698
1
0
Videogames Blamed for Alaskan Tugboat Accident

A tugboat that ran aground on the site of the Exxon Valdez disaster came to grief because the captain was too busy playing videogames to pay attention to what he was doing.

In the wake of the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, a navigation safety system was established to help guide tankers through the treacherous waters of Prince William Sound. But the Pathfinder, a tugboat that serves as part of the system, itself ran aground on the submerged Bligh Reef - the same one that gutted the Exxon Valdez - because, according to a U.S. Coast Guard report, the captain was horsing around with videogames.

The incident actually took place in December 2009 but the Coast Guard's preliminary report wasn't completed until May 5 of this year. According to the report, Captain Eugene Monsen lost track of his exact position but then changed course anyway, accelerated the tug and "failed to properly communicate with other officers." He then got busy playing Hearts and other games on the computer, facing away from the ship's front window.

"The fact that he went to the computer to play videogames after a course change further aggravates the situation and amplifies the lack of attention on the bridge between the master and second mate," the report says.

The report concluded that Monsen and the second mate had violated Crowley Maritime Corporation policies with their behavior but added that the company should update its policies on the use of cell phones and "recreational electronic devices." The Coast Guard should also consider implementing new rules regarding the devices, it said, noting that "games, music, phone calls to far-away family are a strong temptation and could easily distract a ship's officer from maintaining a proper lookout."

The Pathfinder leaked 6410 gallons of diesel fuel into the water after striking the reef. Both the captain and the second mate were subsequently fired.

Source: MSNBC [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42999105]


Permalink
 

Braedan

New member
Sep 14, 2010
697
0
0
Wait... Hearts? who the fuck plays Hearts? it's not like you need a top end PC to play flash games...
 

MB202

New member
Sep 14, 2008
1,157
0
0
Personally, I think the guy just had a really bad case of being sidetracked, and that the video game involved was incidental. You could have replaced the video games in question with a sudoku puzzle or crossword, or a book he really wanted to finish, or a TV that just so happened to be there, and it wouldn't of made a difference at all.
 

Radoh

Bans for the Ban God~
Jun 10, 2010
1,456
0
0
Wat.

Why is it the video games' fault when your captain isn't doing his job?

 

WorldCritic

New member
Apr 13, 2009
3,021
0
0
Are you kidding me? It was the captain's fault for being a massive idiot. If they actually say that videogames were at fault in the end then... you know what? I don't even know anymore.
 

Croaker42

New member
Feb 5, 2009
818
0
0
And the world keeps blaming video games instead of idiots.
Personal choice and restraint failed the good captain.
I know honest titles would make the stories seem less interesting. But I believe it's something that needs to happen for journalism as a whole.
 

manythings

New member
Nov 7, 2009
3,297
0
0
MB202 said:
Personally, I think the guy just had a really bad case of being sidetracked, and that the video game involved was incidental. You could have replaced the video games in question with a sudoku puzzle or crossword, or a book he really wanted to finish, or a TV that just so happened to be there, and it wouldn't of made a difference at all.
Mainly I think it's the fact that he is incompetent/a shitty captain.

Sneaky-Pie said:
This is the fault of the captain's negligence, not a game.
That's what the games want you to think then -WHAM!!! George Micheal and the other guy fuck your shit up.
 

Tartarga

New member
Jun 4, 2008
3,649
0
0
Wait, so if a guy playing video games crashes, its the video games fault? But if a guy crashes his car while texting, its the drivers fault for being an unatentive asshole? I call bullcrap.
 

Legion

Were it so easy
Oct 2, 2008
7,190
0
0
RatRace123 said:
Seems to me, it's more the fault of an easily bored captain than videogames.
Indeed.

If he didn't have a video game at hand, he would gave been distracted by something else instead.

bleachigo10 said:
Wait, so if a guy playing video games crashes, its the video games fault? But if a guy crashes his car while texting, its the drivers fault for being an unatentive asshole? I call bullcrap.
In ten years time games will be like phones and no longer an excuse, and we will have something else to blame it on instead.
 

MB202

New member
Sep 14, 2008
1,157
0
0
manythings said:
MB202 said:
Personally, I think the guy just had a really bad case of being sidetracked, and that the video game involved was incidental. You could have replaced the video games in question with a sudoku puzzle or crossword, or a book he really wanted to finish, or a TV that just so happened to be there, and it wouldn't of made a difference at all.
Mainly I think it's the fact that he is incompetent/a shitty captain.
That, too. Actually, I think that's kind of what I was getting at. Gilligan would have made a better captain!
 

EHKOS

Madness to my Methods
Feb 28, 2010
4,815
0
0
Radoh said:
Wat.

Why is it the video games' fault when your captain isn't doing his job?

Oh the millions of times I have quoted this video.

OT: I can't believe how stupid some people can be. I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
 

Azaraxzealot

New member
Dec 1, 2009
2,403
0
0
aaaaaaand what if he was too busy helping an orphan not to drown to stop the accident? would orphans therefore be blamed?

fucking double standards...
 

MrSojourn

New member
Mar 10, 2011
3
0
0
Are games really being blamed here? From what I read they just mention that games was his poison of choice when it came to distracting things.
 

PhunkyPhazon

New member
Dec 23, 2009
1,967
0
0
Should we blame the captain, should we blame the vessel, or the crewman who allowed his captain to do this?

Hell no, blame video games.