14 DAY TRIAL // According to new testimonies, the massive oil spill that occurred in the Mississippi river in July was caused by the jealousy of the master pilot, who was at the time on shore, chasing his girlfriend, who he suspected was cheating on him with a truck driver. As he was away, apprentice mate John Bavaret was left in charge of the tugboat that was directing the barge containing some 420,000 gallons of No. 6 oil on the river. Because he was not qualified to navigate the insidious canals beneath the surface, Bavaret lost control of the steering wheel, and collided the barge into another ship.
Terry Carver, the master pilot of the tugboat Mel Oliver, who was actually supposed to be piloting his own ship on July 23rd, when the accident occurred, was on shore at the time. His nephew had telephoned him on July 20th, saying that he had seen his uncle's girlfriend in a truck with another man. According to his own testimony, Carver went to investigate and left the command of the ship to Bavaret, who did not possess the master's certificate, required for navigating the Mississippi.
Carver was in touch with the boat via cell phone, but was announced out of the blue that the ship had collided with the tanker Tintomara, and that the barge, split in two, was spilling virtually all of its contents in the river. The Mississippi was closed all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, as rescue teams struggled to contain the spill, and minimize damage to the environment, the ecosystems alongside the river, and the regional economy.
Stephen Lehmann, a spokesman for the New Orleans Coast Guard, said that no other crew member onboard the Mel Oliver had the required qualification to pilot the ship, and that John Bavaret only possessed an apprentice mate's license, which meant that he didn't stand a chance of piloting the ship safely in the crowded conditions of the river.
In the aftermath of the disaster, water intakes for several cities were closed, passenger ferries canceled, and a foul smell hanged above the city of New Orleans for days on end. The city's Moonwalk area and the Aquarium also suffered significant damage, authorities reported.