(BRIGANTINE, N.J.) — A tugboat towing a barge lost power and ran aground on the south end of the beach in Brigantine early Saturday, the Press of Atlantic City reported. The 86-foot Miss Katie, owned by Marquette Transportation Co., was towing the barge to Great Egg Harbor Inlet when the incident occurred at about 0430 hours. The tug remained attached to the barge, which drifted into the north jetty at Absecon Inlet. Both vessels were refloated Sunday. No pollution or injuries were reported.
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The following is the text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
(PHILADELPHIA) — The Coast Guard oversaw the refloating of a barge and tugboat Sunday near Absecon Inlet.
The 77-foot Miss Katie experienced a loss of power Saturday and ran aground north of the Absecon Inlet, and the 135-foot barge drifted and ran aground on the south side of the north jetty.
Personnel from Coast Guard Station Atlantic City arrived on scene Saturday, but due to weather conditions, salvage operations for the tug and barge were suspended.
"Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay's Incident Management Division oversaw salvage and pollution prevention operations of the tug and barge today on Brigantine Beach, New Jersey," said Lt. j.g. Terry Plank, the federal on-scene coordinator representative. "Both the tug and barge were successfully removed from the beach and jetty respectively. No injuries occurred, and no discharge of fuel or oil was observed during this incident. The local police and contractors played a significant role in the overall success of the operation, and we are thankful to all crews involved."
Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay personnel investigated the incident.
