A towboat that sank on the upper Mississippi River nearly two weeks ago has been successfully raised and moved to dry dock for repairs, Coast Guard officials said Friday.
The 158’ Eric Haney sank around midnight July 9 at mile marker 9.7 along the right descending bank near Cairo, Ill. All nine people on board escaped without injury. A unified command consisting of the Coast Guard, vessel owner Tennessee Valley Towing, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources began working to stabilize the vessel and prevent a spill.
About 106,000 gals. of diesel fuel were recovered, along with about 6,000 gals. of lubricating oil, waste and contact water. Some 1,700’ feet of hard boom was deployed around the operation, and sorbent booms put out as needed. Water and shoreline assessments found no signs of pollution.
After the Eric Haney was lifted it was transferred to a dry dock at James Marine Inc., Wickliffe, Ky., for preliminary repairs before going to the main James Marine facility at Paducah, Ky., for further work.
There are no restrictions to commercial or recreational vessel traffic due to the incident, and the cause remains under investigation, according to the Coast Guard.
