Miami Tugboat Captain Charged in Deadly Bay Collision

Federal prosecutors in Miami have charged a tugboat captain with seaman's manslaughter in connection with a July 2023 collision in Biscayne Bay that killed three young girls participating in a sailing camp at the Miami Yacht Club.

Yusiel Lopez Insua, 46, of Miami, was operating a 25-foot tugboat pushing a 108-foot barge loaded with construction debris from a seawall demolition project on Star Island toward Di Lido Island in Miami Beach. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. on July 28, when the barge struck a 17-foot Hobie Getaway sailboat carrying a 19-year-old counselor and five children, ages 7 to 13. The sailboat had lost wind and stalled in the waterway, a busy area known for recreational boating.

According to court documents from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, Insua's forward visibility was obstructed by the barge's cargo, a deckhouse, and a crane. No crew member was assigned as a lookout; two others on board were positioned at the rear. The counselor attempted to alert the tugboat, but Insua did not see the sailboat in time and failed to slow down or reverse course. A forensic review of Insua's cellphone revealed it was unlocked in the...