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Tag: Tug

Aries Sinks

Aries Sinks

 

The 68-foot tug Aries sank in the Bering Sea east of St. Paul Island.   The tug was towing a barge when the crew discovered the vessel was taking on water.   The weather was rough with 11 foot waves and 30 mile per hour winds.   The tug’s crew contacted the Coast Guard that they were in need of assistance.  The Coast Guard dispatched a HC-130 Hercules airplane which reached the scene to see only the barge afloat.  The crew of the Aries had transferred over to the barge before the tug sank.   A Coast Guard helicopter arrived a few hours later and hoisted the 4 crewmen off the barge.   They were safely taken to St. Paul Island.    The Aries sank with 29,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board.   Reports state there is a visable oil slick.   Authorities have deployed vessels to handle environmental issues and to see if the tug could be salvaged.    The reason for the Aries sinking has not yet been determined.

The Aries is a Gulf Coast style tug built in 1980 in Gibson, Louisiana.   The vessel was recently refurbished in Seattle before being leased to C & K Marine from Olympic Tug & Barge, Inc. of Seattle.

More information on the Aries and Rescue at the Bitterend Blog

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Tug Sank

Tug Sank

The 51 meter long, 910 dwt tug VB Antartico sank off the northwest coast of Portugal.   The tug was sailing from Cartagena to La Coruna with a floating platform under tow when it encountered heavy seas.   The tug then lost power by a mechanical failure and went adrift.   The master of the VB Antartico contacted the Portuguese Rescue Service for assistance.    Before any rescue craft could reach the tug, it was pulled by the current until it struck the floating platform.  The collision ruptured the hull of VB Antartico allowing water ingress into the vessel.   As the tug settled lower into the water,  the 11 crewmen on board hurried to the lifeboats.    Luckily, the crew were quickly rescued by the nearby vessels LNG tanker Arctic Voyager and the tanker Elizabeth.  Why did the tug lose power and sink?  The owners released a statement stating the sinking was “by reason and due to unpredictable weather.”  Other reports stated that the crew lacked the necessary expertise.   This is supported by several maneuvers done by the tug’s master along with that the tug went to sea without enough fuel.   The report suspects the vessel ran out of fuel which led to the power loss.    The VB Antartico was built in 1977 as the Shoei Maru.

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Collision on the Columbia

Collision on the Columbia

The tugboat Clarkston collided with the 45,222 dwt freighter Genco Marine on the Columbia River near Vancouver, Washington.    The Clarkston veered and struck Genco Marine which was at anchor.   Reports state there might be damage to Clarkston.     The reason for the tug striking the freighter has not been reported.  The Coast Guard has launched an investigation.

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