Shippingtelegraph: Tugboat captain pleads guilty over crash that killed 3 children

Published by shippingtelegraph

A tugboat captain has pleaded guilty to federal charges after operating a barge with obstructed visibility and without a proper lookout, causing a fatal collision in Biscayne Bay, South Florida, that claimed the lives of three children participating in a sailing camp, according to U.S. attorney’s office, southern district of Florida. Investigators found that the tugboat operator had also engaged in cellphone activity while the tugboat was underway.

The 46-year-old captain from Miami was piloting a 25-foot tugboat pushing a construction barge measuring 108 feet long, 28 feet wide, and 149 gross tons across Biscayne Bay on July 28, 2025.

According to court records, the barge loaded with construction debris had its forward view obstructed by a deckhouse and crane, and no crewmember had been assigned to serve as a lookout.

At the same time, a sailboat carrying one counselor and five children from a nearby sailing camp lost wind and stalled in the tugboat’s path.

Due to the obstructed visibility and lack of a lookout, the tugboat operator failed to see the stalled sailboat before the barge ran over it, submerging the sailboat beneath the barge’s hull.

A forensic review of his cellphone revealed internet activity while the tugboat was underway, including at or near the time of the collision.

The counselor and two children escaped after being dragged beneath the barge. Three children became trapped beneath the wreckage and drowned.

The captain pleaded guilty to seaman’s manslaughter and faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.