Drug testing still a problem after ship accidents

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- More than five years after a controversy over drug and alcohol testing for ships' crews, the National Transportation Safety Board still is pushing for timely testing protocols in the wake of serious maritime accidents.

The NTSB, whose job it is to determine probable cause in major transportation accidents, voted Tuesday to put the issue on its list of "most wanted safety recommendations" after documenting numerous maritime accidents in which drug and alcohol testing was done improperly.

The testing issue came to the fore after a 1996 accident in Portland, Maine.

A tanker named the "Julie N" rammed a bridge, spilling 180,000 gallons of oil into the harbor. The dockmaster guiding the ship during the accident submitted a urine sample for a drug test, but no breath or blood sample for an alcohol test.

A 1998 federal law gave the Coast Guard full authority to conduct drug and alcohol testing after such incidents, but did not mandate a deadline for implementation, which has lagged. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Transportation.

An NTSB staff investigation of the issue discovered widespread confusion about regulations on maritime drug and alcohol testing.

"In many cases breath or blood samples were not collected at all," said NTSB staff member Marjorie Murtagh.

"The requirement for [urine sample] collection is a well-recognized requirement. However, the requirement for breath or blood [samples] is much less known and gets left out in the collection process."

Murtagh said that often the employers of crewmen involved in accidents don't know they are responsible for issuing tests to their employees, believing it is solely the responsibility of the Coast Guard.

"Currently, the Coast Guard is not responsible for any post-accident testing," Murtagh said. "Even though they are on scene within two hours and are authorized to conduct chemical testing."

Placing the maritime testing issue on the NTSB's "most wanted" list is a means of giving the issue a higher public profile.

"Part of the problem with the lack of enforcement is the danger of mariners knowing that it is possible to use drugs or to drink without any consequences posed to them," Murtagh said.

Earlier this month, another ship hit a bridge in Portland and this time the Coast Guard conducted a full range of tests. Alcohol was determined not to be a factor.

The NTSB also voted to maintain on its "most wanted" list "comprehensive" underage drinking and driving laws in all 50 states as well as graduated licensing laws for teen-agers.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia prohibit alcohol sale and public possession by persons under 21. But other restrictions -- aimed at teen-agers -- are not imposed by all states.