Barge from tug “Valour” recovered; two crewmen still missing

Barge from tug “Valour” recovered; two crewmen still missing

Barge from tug “Valour” recovered; two crewmen still missing

   The tank barge “M-192,” which separated from the tug “Valour” last week off Cape Fear, N.C., has been towed to Wilmington, N.C.
   The 500-foot barge, loaded with 140,000 barrels of petroleum by-product, drifted for more than 12 hours before it was recovered.
   U.S. Coast Guard personnel, with assistance from the crew of the 118-foot tug “Justine Foss,” secured the barge two miles northeast of Frying Pan Shoals. The barge had been drifting toward the shoals.
   The Foss tug saved five crewmembers from the “Valour” before it sank on Jan. 18 in 20-foot seas and gale-force winds. One crewmember was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. Another crewmember died, and two are missing.
   The 135-foot “Valour” remains submerged in 100 feet of water. Divers will search the vessel this week and assess any environmental impact, the Coast Guard said in a statement.
   The “Valour” and its barge are owned by Maritrans Operating Co. LP, a subsidiary of Maritrans Inc.