Coast Guard responds to towboat sinking on Ohio River
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a towboat sinking downriver from the Montgomery Lock, near mile 31 on the Ohio River in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The Coast Guard rescued three crewmembers. Three were reported dead at the scene and another crewmember remains missing.
The towboat “Elizabeth M” and three of the vessel’s six coal-laden barges went over the dam at the Montgomery Lock and sank. The remaining three barges sank above the dam.
The Coast Guard is investigating the incident, and plans are underway to recover the sunken towboat and barges. The “Elizabeth M” is owned by Campbell Transportation.
On Friday, the Coast Guard responded to a grounded freighter — the 528-foot “Global Challenger” — in the Columbia River near Skamokawa, Wash., at 10 p.m. The vessel was loaded with 258,836 gallons of heavy oil and 56,339 gallons of diesel fuel. No leaks were reported.
A container vessel, “Zeus II,” temporarily lost power near Edmonds, Wash., late Jan. 6. The Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service monitored the rate of drift and closest point of land for the pilot on board the ship. Foss Tug dispatched to two tug boats from Shilshoal Bay, Wash., to assist the vessel.
“Crew members aboard the ‘Zeus II’ evaluated the situation and discovered a clogged valve in the engine,” the Coast Guard said. “The vessel was able to restart the engines and get underway under its own power.”