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Tahoe Queen

Tahoe Queen

 

Photo: USCG
Photo: USCG

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.

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Nash Sunk

Nash Sunk

Photo: uscg
Photo: uscg

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.

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Removal of Captain Al

Removal of Captain Al

Photo: sfgate.com
Photo: sfgate.com

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a two month long project to remove 40 abandoned vessels in the Oakland Estuary.  The bottom of the estuary if full of marine debris, sunken vessels and toxic materials.  Contractors has raised the 105 foot long tugboat Captain Al near Alameda, California.  The Captain Al had been sunk in the estuary for over 15 years when the tugboat was abandoned in the 1990s.  Divers pumped out sediment from the Captain Al then cranes hoisted the vessel to the surface.  Reports state the project will cost around 3.5 million dollars, but some of the funds were paid by from owners of the Cosco Busan.   The Cosco Busan had struck the Bay Bridge in 2007 and released over 53,000 gallons of bunker oil into the bay.

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