Five mariners were rescued from the water after a towboat sank in a collision with a Liberian-registered bulk carrier on the Lower Mississippi River.
On Dec. 29, the 87′ towboat Patrick J. Studdert sank after colliding with the 738′ bulk carrier Clara B near Mississippi River mile marker 123, just north of the Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge in St. Charles Parish. La., city officials said.
All five people from the towboat were rescued from the river by nearby vessels and were transferred to local emergency medical services, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The bulk carrier docked upriver with all crewmembers accounted for.
Vessel traffic was temporarily suspended between mile markers 120 and 123 on Dec. 29, but resumed after several hours.
The cause of the collision is under investigation, the Coast Guard said.
Following the incident, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans and local partner agencies observed minimal silver sheen with no recoverable product from mile markers 115-122. A Coast Guard Auxiliary over flight of the area observed no signs of pollution from the sunken vessel.
“Thanks to the quick, coordinated actions of our mariners, partners and USCG team, what started as [search and rescue] swiftly moved to pollution response and investigation into the incident cause. We will continue to assess and work with vessel company on recovery efforts,” said Capt. Melanie Burnham, deputy sector commander at U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans.
The Coast Guard, St. Charles Parish Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office are working with the towboat owner’s surveillance and cleanup contractors to clean the incident site.
Patrick J. Studdert is a 2,000-hp towboat built by Sneed Shipbuilding in Channelview, Texas, in 2012.
