The following is the text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) — Coast Guard marine safety crews monitored the removal of the tugboat Tutahaco on Friday near Ormond Beach.
Tutahaco was deemed a maritime threat to the environment after finding significant amounts of oil, PCBs, lead and asbestos.
“The Tutahaco is in a dilapidated condition,” said Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Svencer, the incident commander for the removal. “Not only was it a threat to the environment, but to the community, and that's our primary concern.”
The Coast Guard hired T&T Salvage to hoist the vessel onto a barge where it will be transported to All Star Metals in Brownsville, Texas to remove the hazardous contaminates.
Tutahaco will be secured for ocean travel in Jacksonville.
Editor's note: The World War II-era U.S. Navy tugboat had been moored in the Halifax River for 19 years.
