Captain’s Errors Lead to Loss of $1.5 Million Cargo Ship Bonnie G Off St. Thomas, Report Finds

A report from the National Transportation Safety Board finds that the ill-fated Bonnie G, a Vanatu-flagged vessel that ran aground off the coast of St. Thomas in 2023, had not deployed enough anchor chain as it waited out adverse weather conditions while waiting to dock.

The cargo vessel arrived in St. Croix around 7 a.m. October 3. By 2 p.m. that day, it was ready to head back to St. Thomas, “loaded with six passenger vehicles, an industrial truck, trailer and scissor lift, a refrigerated container full of fruits and vegetables, and an assortment of other cargo,” according to the NTSB report.

Bonnie G's captain reviewed the weather forecast, which included strong wind gusts later in the night – up to 25 knots by midnight. However, that was long after the ship's expected arrival time. "The crew expected to be tied up to the dock” by then, the report indicates.

However, the winds on St. Thomas were much higher than expected when the ship arrived in Crown Bay. A loaded barge had also become unmoored and was blocking the Bonnie G's docking location. The captain reportedly decided to just anchor the vessel and wait for conditions to improve.

The first error occurred when calculating the water depth. Instead of 68 feet, captain and crew assessed the depth at being 26 feet at most. Therefore, only 135 feet of anchor chain was deployed, instead of at least 340 feet. “Considering the water depth and windy conditions, the Bonnie G captain did not let out enough chain for a secure anchorage,” the report says.