Harbor pilot averts disaster, stops cargo ship from crashing at Port Tampa Bay

Cargo ship emergency at Port Tampa Bay

It was a near-miss Thursday morning at Port Tampa Bay as a harbor pilot managed to stop a cargo ship from crashing. The ship experienced a mechanical failure as it pulled into port.

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa Bay harbor pilot’s quick thinking helped prevent a cargo ship from crashing after it experienced a mechanical failure.

On Thursday morning, Port Tampa Bay says there was a reported mechanical failure near a container berth at the port by the Maersk Tyndall.

Ken Sears, an experienced harbor pilot in Tampa Bay, was on board the ship, doing what he calls a routine job.

"Honestly, most days, people don't notice the pilots," Sears said. "You might not know that we're on board, might not even know the profession exists."

Sears says he was directing the ship, which was carrying nearly 100,000 tons of cargo, through the bay and into the port.

"I started on the pilot boat, and I boarded the Tyndall" Sears said. "I get on board the ship, I climb a pilot ladder up the side of the ship."

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Sears says the harbor pilot is like the conductor, directing everyone else on the ship.

"The easy way to think about it is, we valet park the ships, so we board them 8 to 10 miles offshore, Tampa Bay," Brett Baker, another Tampa Bay harbor pilot, said.

Sears says the routine job Thursday morning turned into an emergency situation though, when the ship lost the engine just before docking. He says the ship was about 200 feet from docking, when there was a malfunction.

"I ordered the engine to stern, start reversing, you know, essentially put the brakes on, for lack of a better term," Sears said. "And when I asked for that, the engine did not start going in reverse."

Sears says they lost the engine. He directed the two tugboats which were assisting to help slow the boat down without the engine as quickly as possible.

"The tug boat is much less powerful than a ship," Sears said. "So, this was going to take a bit longer for the ship to stop."

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Sears had seconds to change course, as the ship was headed towards another ship and a massive crane.

"So as the ship gradually slowed down going past its final mark, I was able to eventually get the ship speed under control and the angle away from the dock to where nothing was in danger," Sears said. "The ship was heading out towards open water."

The ship avoided a potential crash into other ships or cranes.

Port Tampa Bay is one of the largest ports in the state of Florida, and is a huge economic drivers, from the trade industry to tourism.

Other types of malfunction around the country have caused disastrous consequences.

"The people of Hillsborough County and the state of Florida have invested a lot of money in the ports here because it's a big economic engine for us and extremely important," Baker said.

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In this case, Sears’ actions and expertise navigated this ship to safety, averting a potential crisis.

"It's easy for this kind of thing to fade into the background, and it's only when there's a disaster, are we really reminded of what is at stake," Sears said. "And an event like this morning shows that it can happen and still end alright."

Port Tampa Bay says the mechanical matter was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard, which is the regulatory agency with oversight of these matters.

The U.S. Coast Guard says no damage or injuries were reported.