Mississippi River Reopens Following Tugboat Sinking
The Coast Guard re-opened the Mississippi River above Head of Passes after determining it to be safe for navigation, Sunday.
Survey operations are ongoing in an effort to locate the sunken 48-foot tug boat C-Pec between mile marker eight and Head of Passes. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service Lower Mississippi River will continue to implement vessel traffic management measures to ensure safe navigation.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed two survey passes from mile marker eight to mile marker zero above Head of Passes with no navigation hazards identified. Contracted survey vessels have conducted channel centerline surveys from mile marker zero through Southwest Pass below Head of Passes to the Gulf of Mexico with no navigation hazards identified.
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port of New Orleans has re-opened mile marker zero to mile marker 10 to one-way vessel traffic only, implementing a traffic resumption plan developed by the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers and pilot associations with initial transits to be conducted by three shallow draft vessels.
All deep draft vessels movements will be coordinated between the Vessel Traffic Service, pilot associations and the Army Corps of Engineers. Shallow-draft vessels that do not normally navigate the deep draft channel are encouraged to transit the area at a slow safe speed with extreme caution and adhere to any instructions from the survey vessels on VHF-FM channel 67.
The Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service will continue to issue routine updates as needed.
Surveys with Army Corps of Engineers vessels, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessels and six contracted vessels will continue to search for the sunken vessel and verify conditions along the edge of the channel.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
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The Coast Guard has closed the Mississippi River above Head of Passes in response to a sunken vessel, Saturday.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 12:10 p.m. from a passenger vessel near the 48-foot tug boat C-Pec that capsized and sank in the river at mile marker eight above Head of Passes near Venice.
Sector New Orleans deployed a 29-foot Response Boat – Small boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Venice and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans to respond to the scene to search for the sunken tug.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has also responded to assist in locating the sunken tug and currently has a boat on scene with sonar equipment searching for the tug.
Plaquemines Parish Port Authority is also en route with specialized sonar equipment.
Two people from the sunken tug were reported to enter the river and were rescued by a good Samaritan and transferred to the Coast Guard response boat and taken back to Station Venice.
The C-Pec is completely submerged in the channel. There were four external 500-gallon tanks that broke free and produced a minor sheen. All tanks have been recovered, and the sheen has dissipated due to the river currents.
A full waterway closure was put in place at 1 p.m. on the Mississippi River from mile marker zero to mile marker 10 above Head of Passes.
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"The Coast Guard is actively working with all available resources and intends on re-opening the lower Mississippi River once it is determined to be safe for the navigation of all vessel traffic," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin Frechette, situation watchstander at Sector New Orleans.
Sector New Orleans is attempting to contact the responsible party to identify an oil spill response organization to determine a salvage plan to recover the sunken tug vessel.