Additional information about the vessels sunk by Hurricane Harvey. The Coast Guard has released photos of the towboats Sabine Pass, Sandy Point and Belle Chasse which were in Lydia Ann Channel near Port Aransas, Texas when the hurricane struck. Two vessels, Sabine Pass and Sandy Point, were washed ashore while the Belle Chasse sunk in the Lydia Ann Channel. Each towboat had 2 empty barges which broke free during the hurricane. The barges now rest high and dry on the bank near the channel. No reports of injuries as all 11 crew had been safely evacuated.
Salvage efforts have been started including refloating the of the drillship Paragon DPDS 1 and other vessels sunk or aground near Port Aransas or Corpus Christi, Texas.
On August 25, Hurricane Harvey made landfall at Rockport, Texas. Just a short distance away, the Coast Guard reported several vessels requesting assistance or had become disabled in Port Aransas. Below is the list of commercial vessels requiring asisstance at Port Aransas.
The tugboat Signet Constellation had partially sank and requested assistance. Four crew rescued by the Coast Guard.
The 24 meter long, 232 gt tugboat Sandy Point requested assistance with four crew rescued by the Coast Guard
The tugboat Sabine requested assistance. Seven crew were hoisted to safety by Coast Guard helicopters and delivered to a nearby rig near Aransas Pass.
The 149 meter long, 9200 dwt drillship Paragon DPDS I was reported aground at the entrance to Port Aransas. Reports state the vessel had been laid up before the hurricane and had broken its mooring lines and drifted aground. No details if anyone was on board the vessel at the time.
The assessment of Shell’s Kulluk drillship continued today as calmer weather conditions allowed a recovery team to board the grounded vessel for a second time to continue a detailed evaluation of its condition. The recovery team again spent several hours onboard and was able to reconfirm the Kulluk is firmly aground and is stable.
The team also confirmed there remains no sign of environmental impact, and there has been no leakage of the low-sulphur diesel fuel or hydraulic fluid stored in strong tanks onboard the vessel. Information gained from the on-site assessments will be invaluable in helping to evaluate the available options for freeing the rig from its grounded position.