On June 8, the 260 foot long barge Nash was under tow by the tug Calvin off Santa Barbara, California.  The Nash was loaded with 3,900 tons of magnesium chloride when it suffered a leak off Point Conception and began to sink.  The crew of the Calvin alerted the Coast Guard , but the barge quickly flooded and sank stern first.   The barge’s bow remain above water, but the stern tanks were crushed and the hull was severely damaged preventing any salvage.  Salvors were requested to requested and patched the hull just sufficient enough so the Nash could be towed to deeper water.  On June 17, the barge was towed out and scuttled offshore.  No reports of injuries.  The cargo of magnesium chloride was reported to be non-hazardous with no projected impact to the environment.

Related articles

• Clean up and removal efforts completed near Point Conception (uscgnews.com)