Louisiana - Shipwreck Log

On April 15, the tugboat Todd Michael went aground on Lake Pontchartrain off New Orleans, Louisiana. The tug was towing a barge when it ran onto the rocks near the shoreline. The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter to the scene. The 2 crew on the Todd Michael were lifted to safety. The one crewman on board the barge was rescued by another vessel. No reports of injuries.

Coast Guard rescues 3 from tug taking on water in Lake Pontchartrain (uscgnews.com)
3 rescued from tug boat on Lake Pontchartrain (wwltv.com)

Collision on Mississippi

February 23, 2014 Paul Hancock

LINDSAY_ERICKSON

The 52 meter long towboat collided with the tanker barge E2MS303 on the Mississippi River near Vacherie, Louisiana. The Lindsay Ann Erickson was pushing grain barges and was moving out of the navigation lanes when it struck one of two barges being pushed by the 27 meter long towboat Hannah C. Settoon. The tanker barge ruptured spilling light crude into the river.

A light sheen of oil was reported, but the amount released was not yet known. The Coast Guard stopped traffic on a 65 mile stretch of the river until the pollution could be cleaned up. The cause of the collision is under investigation. No reports of injuries.

Oil spill closes part of Miss. River in Louisiana (kansascity.com)
Oil closes New Orleans port, part of Miss. river (cnsnews.com)
Oil spill closes part of Miss. River in Louisiana (kvue.com)

Hercules 265

July 24, 2013 Paul Hancock

The Hercules 265 jack-up rig caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. The rig had recently been preparing the well for production when natural gas came flowing out of the well. The natural gas caught fire a short time later developing into a large blaze. The Hercules 265 suffered significant damage as the fire caused part of the rig to collapse. The beams supporting the derrick and drilling rig floor have fallen over the rig structure. The fire extinguished after sediment and sand clogged the well. No reports of injuries on board as the 44 crew on board had escaped to the rig’s lifeboats when the natural gas began to spewing from the well. Photos of the area show that pollution had been released, but no reports on efforts to contain or clean-up the slick. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.