The 110 foot long maintenance barge partially sank at it’s berth in Long Beach, California. The barge suffered water ingress and developed a list. Local crews were able to shut off the diesel fuel flow to the barge. No reports of pollution released. Authorities placed booms around the barge to contain any pollution. Reports state salvage crews will attempt to refloat and stabilize the barge while divers inspect the hull for leaks. The barge is used as a fueling station for the ferry Catalina Express which services between Long Beach and Santa Catalina Island.
The 38 foot vessel Paloma washed ashore off Ocean Beach near San Francisco, California. The master of the vessel, Timothy Lybrand, had made a distress call earlier that the vessel had run aground onto the rocks just offshore. He stated he was going to abandon ship and swim ashore some 25 yards away. The Coast Guard dispatched air and sea rescue boats to the scene while nearby fishing vessels also searched for the missing man. Aided by the San Francisco Fire Department, the area around the Paloma was systematically searched. After 9 hours, the search was finally called off as no sign of the captain Lybrand could be found.
The Paloma ran ashore onto the beach partially sunk in 10 feet of water. Officials were able to safely remove the vessel’s two fuel tanks which had some 35 gallons of diesel fuel. Debris from the vessel has washed up on to the beach. The Coast Guard reports the cleanup coast will cost around $20,000. The Paloma has sustained significant damage and will scrapped on the beach. Authorities will pull the vessel above the high tide line and breakup the vessel so it can be carted to a nearby dump truck for removal. Estimates state this will cost another $98,000 to complete.
Later reports stated Lybrand had warrants for his arrest for failure to appear in court in 2012. Police suspect the fisherman had not perished with his vessel but is in hiding somewhere in the San Francisco area.
On August 4, the passenger riverboat Tahoe Queen ran aground off Regan Beach on Lake Tahoe, California. The riverboat with 296 passengers had just started a cruise along the lake when it ran onto a large sandbar some 600 yards off the shore. The vessel tried to free itself for an hour, but was firmly stuck and the crew requested assistance. The Coast Guard responded and help unload all the passengers off the vessel. The process took several hours. However, there was no injuries, damage or pollution released. The following day four vessels from Vessel Assist Lake Tahoe and High Sierra Marine refloated the Tahoe Queen and towed her back to her berth.
Reports state that lake levels are lower which may have lead to the vessel grounding. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.
