Fishing Vessel Submerged at Oceanside, NY, Pier

NEW YORK, NY, May 10, 2008 (USCG)

The Coast Guard is overseeing the salvage of a 70-foot fishing vessel that sank at the pier in Oceanside, N.Y., at around 8 a.m. today.

Coast Guard Station Jones Beach received the initial call that the Miss Edith, a clamming dredge owned by Bayhead Inc., Manahawkin, N.J., was submerged in roughly 20-feet of water and leaked 100-gallons of diesel fuel in the Hog Island Channel. The owner reported he had deployed a boom around the vessel to stop the leakage. [More...]

Coast Guard Reports Hazardous Spill in Richmond, California

RICHMOND, CA, May 6, 2008 (The Boating Channel)

A spill of toluenediamine, a flammable substance that can cause irritation by inhalation, at the Reaction Products facility in Richmond, California, has brought out the U.S. Coast Guard along with the California Office of Emergency Services, the Department of Fish and Game and Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Team.

The chemical spill occurred at an unconfirmed time this past weekend. The spill has been fully contained by booms and absorbent pads. The spilled chemical is not believed to have reached the San Francisco Bay. A safety zone was established and enforced by the Coast Guard Monday afternoon and has since been lifted. [More...]

Mississippi River Reopened to Vessel Traffic

ST. LOUIS, MO, April 17, 2007 (US Coast Guard)

As of 3:30 p.m. Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard reopened the Upper Mississippi River from mile marker 130 to 145 to vessel traffic.

The river was closed to vessel traffic after the Marquette Transportation Lines towing vessel John Paul Eckstein, pushing 25 grain barges, suffered mechanical problems and struck an unused dock, causing the tow to break up and 1 barge to sink.

The Coast Guard worked with U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and local maritime industry representatives to determine the most efficient and safe plan to allow the transit of delayed vessels through the previously closed portion of river.

Prior to the reopening, 21 vessels were delayed as a result of the river closure.

Multi-beam sonar aboard the Army Corp survey vessel Boyer was able to detect the sunken barge on the river bottom near river mile 142.3, approximately 1.5 miles south of the initial accident.

Sonar was also utilized to confirm the navigation channel was safe for vessel traffic. Army Corp Motor Vessel Pathfinder marked the sunken barge with bouys to ensure safe transit through the area.

The Coast Guard, Army Corp of Engineers, and local industry representatives will continue to work together to ensure the safe passage of all delayed vessels until the back log is eliminated.

The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation by the Coast Guard