Articles Posted in Fatigue

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its findings on the April 11, 2025, grounding of the commercial F/V EILEEN RITA near Green Island, approximately eight miles east of Boston. It has been determined that the cause was preventable; the captain fell asleep at the helm. The complete report can be found at NTSB.

The 86-foot scallop dragger left Boston Harbor at 10:00 p.m. on April 10, 2025, to fish Stellwagen Bank and was returning to port when the grounding occurred at 7:31 a.m. The NTSB found that in the 48 hours before the accident, the captain had logged only eight hours of sleep which were broken into three short segments. He was alone on watch while the two deckhands were asleep, and the vessel was on autopilot when he nodded off. He had adjusted the heading 15 to 20 degrees to port in an effort to clear a lighthouse, sat down, and fell asleep. About ten minutes later, the F/V EILEEN RITA struck the rocks.

“I didn’t realize how tired I was…until it was too late,” the captain told investigators. It is a sentence that will be familiar to anyone who works at sea.

When most people think about dangerous jobs, they picture dramatic accidents such as explosions, falls, or machinery malfunctions. However, a significant yet often overlooked risk affecting America’s 400,000 maritime workers is chronic fatigue. This silent hazard can undermine safety across commercial fishing vessels, cargo ships, offshore platforms, and seafood processing facilities, contributing to an industry fatality rate nearly five times higher than the national average.

The maritime industry operates within unique and challenging environments. Unlike land based staff who typically complete their shifts and then go home, maritime workers often reside at their workplace for long stretches, sometimes lasting weeks or even months. The overlap of work and personal life can lead to ongoing fatigue that builds up over time. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Alaska’s seafood processing workers often face extremely long shifts of 12 to 18 hours, frequently working for weeks at a time without significant breaks.

What makes maritime fatigue especially dangerous is how it intersects with the industry’s inherent hazards. Commercial fishing consistently ranks among America’s deadliest professions. When you layer sleep deprivation onto already treacherous conditions involving heavy machinery, unpredictable weather, and physically demanding labor, the consequences can be catastrophic.