Crowley Barge adrift along Virginia Beach (video)
The Professional Mariner published this from a Crowley Maritime Corporation press release:
(VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.) — The La Princessa (a triple-deck, 580-foot long barge) left San Juan on 11/6 at 12:12 AM pulled by the tug Sentry en route to Pennsauken, NJ for a regularly scheduled liner cargo service. The barge was loaded with 187 container/trailer units including 9 refrigerated containers, which are currently operating on a power pack. The barge also included 125 empty units, 5 vehicles and 1 power pack used to power the refrigerated containers. Eighty-four HAZMAT loads, which contain products such as syrup for soft drinks, alcohol, empty cylinders formerly containing water purification chemicals, etc. are also on board. Despite the fact that there is no compromise of cargo, environmental response teams are standing by. The barge was approximately 100% full. At this time the cargo remains securely onboard and does not pose any threat to either local citizens or the environment.
During its voyage, approximately 12-14 hours from destination and 30 miles from the sea buoy, the tug/barge encountered heavy seas that were remnants of Tropical Storm Ida. The two towlines used to pull the barge, broke in heavy weather and the barge was carried approximately 100 miles southwest where it came to rest parallel on Sand Bridge Beach in Virginia. It currently sits idle ¼ mile from the public fishing pier. An incident command post has been set up at the local fire station with a salvage team standing by.
The Professional Mariner has the whole story. Read about it here.
