Fire Breaks Out on Tug on the Delaware River

 

 

On Tuesday morning, a fire broke out aboard a tug on the Delaware River, prompting a rapid response from the Coast Guard and from good Samaritans. 

At about 0930 hours, Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay received a Channel 16 distress call from the crew of the tugboat, which was in transit with a two-barge tow. 

At a position between Delaware City and Old New Castle, the vessel caught fire, and the crew asked for assistance. Initial reports indicated that the fire was in the engine room; that hatches had been secured; and that the tug had lost steering. 

The crew abandoned ship, according to local media, and a good Samaritan vessel retrieved all four crewmembers safely. Boat crews from Station Philadelphia and a helicopter aircrew out of Air Station Atlantic City responded to the scene, along with assets from local partner agencies, including the Wilmington Fire Department's fireboat. 

The fire has been put out, and the tug has been taken in tow, according to the Coast Guard. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.