The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard:
(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — Coast Guard rescue crews are responding Friday to the sunken tug boat Salvage, approximately four nautical miles off the northern coast of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The two-man crew aboard the Salvage was rescued by the crew of the tug boat Handy I before the distressed vessel was able to sink.
Coast Guard Watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a call at approximately 1:50p.m. Friday from the crew of the Handy I, who reported the incident.
The crew of an Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, with a pollution investigator onboard, conducted an aerial assessment of the area and reported seeing a fuel sheen of approximately one nautical mile. The Coast Guard Cutter Reef Shark is currently on scene investigating.
The Handy I reportedly was towing a barge and traveling with the Salvage from San Juan to Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, when the distressed vessel began taking on water and started to sink.
