On 6/16/12 at approximately 6:53pm, Agents were advised by Lt. of the Terrebonne Parish SO of a boat accident occuring in Bayou Terrebonne.  the accident occurrred around 6:30pm, and involved a vessel, LA1324 FM, hitting a suction dredge pipe connected to a vessel name Sandra Coast Guard documentation number 1225079. Agents were close to the area and arrived at the camp at approximately 7:15 pm. where the operator of vessel LA 1324FM, vessel 1, Operator, was interviewed.  Operator stated that he was exiting a small bayou and turning left into Bayou Terrebonne where it encountered the suction dredge and its pipe blocking over half of the waterway.  Operator stated that he hit the suction dredge ipipe at approximately 30 mph.  Operator then stated that he boarded the dredge vessel, but there was no one on board.  agents then photographed the damage to Operator's motor and interviewed the passengers as well as another witness, who was in a vessel behind Operator at the time of the accident.  Based upon the damage to Operator's motor < cracked motor cover along front, bent and split propeller, and witnesses' statements, it was concluded that Operator's vessel hit the suction dredge pipe at a rate of speed of approximately 30 mph, causing the vessel to ramp up the pipe where the motor then struck the pipe causing the damage to the motor cover and propeller.  Operator's vessel was equipped with 5 type II PFDs and the steering was remote.  Alcohol was not a factor.  Lt of TPSO had proceeded to the scene of the accident.  Agents observed that the dredge pipe had no buoys marking its location, which ran through the center of Bayou Terrebonne, approximately 1/2 inch under the water's surface, making this dredging  area unsafe to motorboat traffic and causing this accident.
Cocodrie                      