Towboat Sinks After Collision with Bulker on the Mississippi

 

Local police in Louisiana are reporting that five crewmembers were rescued from the Mississippi River after their vessel collided with a bulker moving upriver on Sunday night, December 29.  The five crewmembers were all taken to a local hospital by the first responders.

Sheriff Greg Champagne of the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office - which covers the area just above New Orleans on the Mississippi River - issued an alert Sunday evening around 9:30 p.m. reporting the incident. Local responders were quickly able to rescue the crew with the U.S. Coast Guard reporting by the time it reached the scene, the crew had already been removed from the river.

The Liberian-registered bulker Clara B. was northbound on the river heading to Baton Rouge. The vessel built in 2006 is 77,0000 dwt and 738 feet (225 meters) in length.

The Coast Guard identified the tugboat as the Patrick J. Studdert, a push boat for barges that was built in 2012. The towboat was 87 feet in length. The Coast Guard reports it sank in a stretch of river 90 feet deep near Luling, Louisiana.

The river was closed for approximately three hours but traffic has resumed. The Coast Guard is working with state and local authorities. There was a report of a small release of oil and the towboat operator was reported to be working on a salvage plan.