Marine Link
Friday, March 29, 2024

Second Barge Grounds near Long Boat Key

Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.

April 9, 2014

A 140-foot barge is shown beached on Long Boat Key, Fla., Wednesday, April 9, 2014. Due to weather conditions, the barge spuds were unable to hold the barge in position and it began drifting until it ran aground on the beach at Long Boat Key. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

A 140-foot barge is shown beached on Long Boat Key, Fla., Wednesday, April 9, 2014. Due to weather conditions, the barge spuds were unable to hold the barge in position and it began drifting until it ran aground on the beach at Long Boat Key. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

U.S. Coast Guard crews are responding to a second grounded barge near Long Boat Key, Fla., from a tugboat that was beset by heavy weather Tuesday.

Due to deteriorating weather, the barge spuds were unable to keep the 140-foot barge from drifting to the beach. Coast Guard incident management personnel from Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., are on scene overseeing the operation. No pollution has been reported.

"We were monitoring the barge throughout the night, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Garza, member of sector's incident management department. "It was anchored about one half mile from shore. We were prepared for the possibility it could start drifting and as soon as it did, we deployed our emergency responders to assess the situation."

This is the second barge grounding in 24 hours. Sector IMD personel responded to a 180-foot barge that ran aground on Anna Maria Island after breaking free from a tug boat early Tuesday morning.

Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector St. Petersburg received notification at 2 a.m., Tuesday, that the operator of tug Abe H was having difficulty steering due to weather and was unable to control the two barges he was pushing approximately one mile west off of Longboat Key.

Watchstanders launched Coast Guard Cutter Hawk, an 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat homeported in St. Petersburg, Fla., and a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boatcrew from Station Cortez to assist. Command posts were established on Anna Maria Island and at Sector St. Petersburg.

The operator told watchstanders that he was able to anchor one barge; however, while attempting to gain control of the other, the line parted and the barge began drifting until it grounded on the beach at Anna Maria Island.

uscgnews.com

Subscribe for
Maritime Reporter E-News

Maritime Reporter E-News is the maritime industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email five times per week