Barge loses containers off Florida coast

Atlantic Trader

   A container barge lost 22 containers overboard 18 miles off shore from Key Biscayne, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.
   The mishap occurred around 1:15 p.m. on Monday as the 91-foot Atlantic Trader, operated by TransAtlantic Lines, was en route from Jacksonville, Fla., to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
   The ship, with the help of three tugs, was pulled into Port Everglades, “with some containers still hanging over the side, and some container stacks fallen over like dominoes,” the Coast Guard said.
   “The Coast Guard is working with commercial salvage to locate and tow four containers that remain afloat to the port where crews can recover the containers from the water,” the agency added.
   Reuters reported that cargo aboard the ship included cars and consumables, but no military cargo, according to an executive with the carrier.
   The cause of the incident is still under investigation. – Eric Johnson