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Tag: Tugboat

The Mighty Quinn / Arctic Dawn

The Mighty Quinn / Arctic Dawn

Mighty Quinn
Photo: theday.com

On the morning of November 18, there was a report that the 240 foot long, 2338 gt barge Mighty Quinn ran aground on a sandbar on the Thames River near Gales Ferry, Connecticut. Reports stated there were no injuries and no pollution released, but there was a mistake. The vessel stranded was not the barge but the 35 meter long, 485 gt tugboat Arctic Dawn (IMO: 7404047).  The Arctic Dawn had been pushing the empty barge Mighty Quinn from Ledyard when it struck the sandbar.  The tugboat remained stuck for several hours until it could be freed. No reports of damage on the Arctic Dawn.

No further details were reported.

Maristela 2

Maristela 2

Maristela 2
Photo: Iloilo City Emergency Responders

On the morning of October 27, the tugboat Maristela 2 sank on the Iloilo River while berthed along Muelle Loney in Iloilo City, Philippines.  The master was the sole person onboard the tug having his morning coffee when he felt the tugboat tilting over. He quickly disembarked onto the quay before the tugboat sank. Authorities were alerted and found an an oil sheen extending up to 250 meters around the site. The Philippine Coast Guard deployed an oil boom to contain the oil pollution while the tug owners, International Builders Corporation (IBC) of Iloilo brought a crane to the scene.  The crane was able to recover the vessel on the early morning of October 28. No reports of injuries.

The Philippine Coast Guard released an initial report on the incident. They state the owners and the master of the tugboat may be held liable for the incident. The report states the Maristela 2 had been improperly moored. The mooring lines were set to tight which caused the tugboat to tilt on the ebb tide. The tugboat lost stability allowing water ingress resulting in its sinking. At the time of the incident, the Maristela 2 had some 200 litres of diesel fuel on board.

Luther

Luther

Luther
Photo: USCG

On the afternoon of October 18, 2024 the 31.7 meter long, 158 gt tugboat Luther (IMO: 7427477) became disabled on the Pacific Ocean 10 miles off La Push, Washington. The Luther was towing a concrete barge when it suffered steering failure while in strong winds and waves.  The tugboat suffered water ingress as it drifted towards the shore.  Unable to fix the steering, the Luther contacted the Coast Guard requesting assistance.

The Coast Guard dispatched a 47-foot motor lifeboat and an emergency tug along with aircraft from the Air Station from Astoria, Washington.  The Coast Guard arrived on scene and found the Luther still afloat with the barge nearby, but the towline between the vessels had been disconnected. While setting up a towline to the Luther with the emergency tug, the barge nearly collided with the vessels prompting the Coast Guard to transfer the 5 crew of the Luther to another lifeboat.  The Coast Guard dispatched additional vessels which secured a towline to the Luther along with the concrete barge.  All the vessels proceeded to a safe harbor.  No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released.