Dredge barge pushed aground after taking on water in Texas

The following is text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:

(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) — The Coast Guard responded to a grounded dredge barge in the Matagorda Ship Channel near Port Lavaca, Texas, on Tuesday.

Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watch standers received notification Monday evening that the dredge barge Everett Fisher began taking on water. The towing vessel Dana Robyn pushed Everett Fisher aground and recovered the four crewmembers aboard. There were no reported injuries. 

The dredge barge was successfully raised and removed from the channel. As a precautionary measure containment boom was put in place throughout the salvage operation and Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi personnel monitored the situation to ensure the vessel was safely removed from the channel. No pollution was reported.

The cause of the incident is under investigation by Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi.

Due to the location of the grounded dredge barge, a safety zone was established from mile marker 51 to mile marker 66 on the Matagorda Ship Channel. The Coast Guard lifted the safety zone and reopened the Matagorda Ship Channel to vessel traffic Tuesday evening.

The cause of the vessel taking on water is under investigation.

Involved in the response were:

A Coast Guard Station Port O’Connor boat crew
A Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin helicopter air crew
Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Victoria
Texas General Land Office
T&T Marine Salvage

By Professional Mariner Staff