Tappan Zee contractor plans safety changes after latest barge breakaway (UPDATE)

1396215661000 Tjndc5 6eiepk81zmx15b8rt8oq Original

(PIERMONT, N.Y.) (March 30) — A barge broke free from its mooring Sunday at the Tappan Zee Bridge construction site, the third such incident since September, The Journal News reported. Tappan Zee Constructors confirmed in a statement that one of its barges came loose and was recovered about an hour later. The company's daily operations include at least four checks of mooring tie-offs each shift and the barge was inspected about 45 minutes before it separated from its mooring, the statement said.

Click here to read the newspaper's story.

UPDATE

The following is the text of a news report from News 12 Westchester:

(PIERMONT, N.Y.) (April 3) — The contractor working on the new Tappan Zee Bridge is introducing new safety measures after a barge broke loose on the Hudson River Sunday.

Tappan Zee Constructors says a pair of lines between the moorings and the barge snapped Sunday, sending the barge floating down the Hudson. Piermont firefighters say high winds and waves are to blame for the lines snapping. It's the third barge that's broken loose on the Hudson since last September.

The construction company says it will now use stronger lines more resistant to high winds, and will be installing GPS devices on all their boats and barges.  They hope to have that project complete by the end of the month. The Piermont Fire Department also has installed an infrared camera on their boat to help locate any runaway vessels at night.

By Professional Mariner Staff