Boat Rams Oil Platform When Captain Falls Asleep

A 58-foot fishing boat crashed into an oil platform off the Ventura coast early Monday when the captain fell asleep at the wheel, authorities said.

Aniello Gugliemo, 48, captain and owner of the Trionfo, was in fair condition at Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo, where he underwent surgery for a dislocated shoulder, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Officials at Chevron U.S.A. Inc., which owns the platform, said they do not keep statistics on rammings of oil platforms. “It’s highly unusual,” said Mike Marcy, public affairs manager of Chevron’s Ventura district.

Gugliemo’s boat ran into the south side of the platform about nine miles off the shore about 1:15 a.m., Chevron and Coast Guard officials said.

“The owner-operator fell asleep at the wheel,” said Petty Officer Jeff Gunn of the U.S. Coast Guard. “Apparently, he was up 36 hours.”

Gugliemo declined to comment.

Almost all 23 workers aboard Platform Gail woke up during the crash, said Forewoman Sally English.

“We could feel the collision,” English said. “The night operating crew could hear it.”

Workers rushed to the area where the boat, used for a commercial gill-netting operation, threatened to wedge itself under the platform with each crash of the waves, officials said.

The Trionfo’s five crew members, who had been watching television or sleeping below deck when the crash occurred, attached a small motorized boat to the Trionfo’s stern to try to pull it from the platform, she said.

The pilot’s house was severely damaged and in danger of more destruction, she said.

One of the platform workers went on board the boat to help remove Gugliemo, who was trapped beneath debris. The five other crew members were brought aboard the platform, and the U.S. Coast Guard was notified of the accident, officials said.

A Coast Guard helicopter took Gugliemo to Camarillo Airport, and an ambulance took him to the hospital.

A cutter later towed the boat to its home harbor at the Port of Hueneme, officials said.

The five other crew members were not injured, Gunn said.

The platform, which stands 740 feet deep in water, sustained minor damage to some handrails and gratings, officials said.

However, officials said they temporarily stopped production on the platform, which generates 8,000 barrels of oil and 20 million cubic feet of natural gas a day, as a safety precaution.

Coast Guard officials said they are investigating the accident.