The Coast Guard and state and local authorities began working to ensure the safe transport of two troubled vessels being towed to a Brownsville scrap yard after one began listing into the other Thursday.
At approximately 8 a.m. Thursday, the captain of the tug with the vessels in tow called Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders to request assistance as one of the vessels was listing heavily into the other approximately 2 miles offshore and South of the Mansfield Jetties.
The Coast Guard activated its Incident Management Team, which will work with state and local authorities to evaluate the situation and mitigate any risks the vessel may pose to any persons or the environment. The IMT has diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless to assist and escort the vessels to the Port of Brownsville. Also, an additional tug has been dispatched from Brownsville to assist in the tow.
The vessels, both Offshore Supply Vessels, are approximately 200-feet in length, are being towed from Louisiana to the scrap yard in Brownsville. There are currently no persons onboard either OSV. The vessel names are Ken Tide and Louie Tide.
The owner of the vessels has been notified and has reported that neither vessel has an oil supply onboard that could pose a pollution risk to the environment, but Coast Guard pollution response personnel are on-scene investigating.
[mappress] Press Release, November 04, 2013; Images/Video: Coast Guard/dvids