Triple S Marine tug sinks at fuel dock in Louisiana

The Gracie Claire, a 40-year-old 900 HP push boat, had about 2,300 gallons of diesel on board at the time of its sinking, according to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard.    U.S.-flagged tug Gracie Claire, a 50-foot long, 21-foot wide vessel, sank at a fuel dock in Tiger Pass, a bay near Venice, La., on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).
   Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans said they received a report at 8:05 a.m. Aug. 23 about the vessel, which is owned and operated by Triple S Marine, a Morgan City, La.-based marine transportation service company that specializes in inland towing.
   The Gracie Claire, a 40-year-old 900 HP push boat, has a fuel capacity of 8,000 gallons, had about 2,300 gallons of diesel on board during the time of its sinking, according to the Coast Guard.
   A sheen of fuel was reported coming from the vessel, the USCG’s New Orleans sector reported. About a mile of shoreline was affected by the fuel leak,but environmental emergency response organization ES&H managed to contain the spilled fuel with containment boom and also lined portions of shoreline with sorbent boom, plus deployed two drum skimmers.
   The Coast Guard said that it is monitoring the situation and that the cause of the incident is under investigation.