THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 1, 1994 TAG: 9407010383
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
A major oil spill was averted Thursday from a runaway barge off Virginia's Eastern Shore when a tugboat crew managed to catch the 310-foot vessel after a seven-hour chase.
The 115-foot tug Sea Hawk, owned by Allied Towing, called for Coast Guard assistance about 7p.m. Wednesday when its tow-line parted from the barge carrying 3.2 million gallons of No. 2 fuel oil.
``Both the primary and secondary tow lines parted in 8- to 10-foot seas,'' said Petty Officer Robin Ressler, a spokesman for the 5th Coast Guard District, headquartered in Portsmouth. Winds were at 15 to 20 knots.
``The vessel was carrying 80,000 barrels of oil and in danger of running aground and breaking open. This could have been a major oil spill,'' Ressler said.
Coast Guard officials planned to use a helicopter at first light Thursday to put crew members from the tug aboard the barge. However, the Sea Hawk managed to put two people aboard the barge about 2 a.m.
``They rigged a towing bridle and re-established the tow with the tug about 2:30 a.m.,'' Ressler said.
The Coast Guard's 110-foot cutter Aquidneck, from Portsmouth, plus a 44-foot rescue boat from Parramore Beach on the Eastern Shore, also arrived at the scene, about 15 miles southeast of Assateague Island.
The Aquidneck later returned the two men from the barge to their tugboat about 5:30 a.m..
The Sea Hawk entered Delaware Bay with its tow later in the day to make permanent repairs to its towing harness. The double-hull barge and tow were en route from Yorktown to New York City.
``There could have been a good bit of fuel spilled,'' Ressler said. ``Due to the teamwork of both the tug boat crew and Coast Guard units to re-establish the tow, it had a happy ending.'' by CNB