No pollution reported in New York grounding
The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday that a tug and barge that ran aground in Jamaica Bay, N.Y., was successfully refloated.
The 76-foot tug Inland Sea carrying 5,110 gallons of diesel fuel and pushing a the 272-foot barge Essex were successfully refloated at high tide at 7:45 a.m. Monday. They had run aground on soft mud in Jamaica Bay at 10 p.m. Sunday.
The vessel’s single hull remained intact, and there have been no reports of pollution.
The tug and barge are owned by K-Sea Transportation in East Brunswick, N.J., and were en route to the Mobil facility in Inwood, N.Y., when they grounded at the entrance to the Grass Hassock Channel in Jamaica Bay.
A Coast Guard Station New York boat crew attempted to transfer marine inspectors to the vessel shortly after it ran aground, but could not due to shallow water depth. They arrived onboard the vessel at 7 a.m. to ensure the vessel’s hull had not been breached and to investigate the cause of the grounding.
After successfully refloating, the Inland Sea and Essex continued transit to the Exxon Mobil facility.
