Swamped tugboat sinks overnight at Seattle pier
SEATTLE – A tugboat sank at its Seattle waterfront pier and a crew member was hospitalized after high waves swamped the vessel overnight, officials said.
The response tug Sea Born sunk at about 10 p.m. Saturday at Terminal 5 as turbulent waves inundated the stern of the vessel, said Curt Hart, a spokesman with the state Department of Ecology.
The tug then drifted underwater in the strong current, presenting a challenge to responders as they worked in the wind and darkness to try and locate the vessel beneath the churning waves.
The crew member, who was aboard the tug as it sank, was rescued and transported to Harborview Medical Center. That person was listed in good condition Sunday morning.
The tug is owned by NRC Environmental Services, a private response and cleanup contractor, which dispatched two other response vessels of its own after the tug sank.
Personnel from the state Department of Ecology and U.S. Coast Guard also are at the scene.
The Sea Born had an estimated 200 gallons of diesel fuel in its tanks when it sank, and it appears some of it may have leaked, Hart said.
"They've spotted some diesel fuel coming from the tug, and they're working now to get divers ... to go down, plug the vents and do any other kinds of assessment of potential damages, and then they'll try to raise the tug," Hart said.
He said responders are doing what they can to stop fuel from leaking, but the main goal is to raise the tug before it can cause environmental damage.
"The sooner we can get that tug up, the better everyone will be, and the better off our environment will be," Hart said.
But he said weather conditions right now aren't too favorable for raising the vessel.
The response tug Sea Born sunk at about 10 p.m. Saturday at Terminal 5 as turbulent waves inundated the stern of the vessel, said Curt Hart, a spokesman with the state Department of Ecology.
The tug then drifted underwater in the strong current, presenting a challenge to responders as they worked in the wind and darkness to try and locate the vessel beneath the churning waves.
The crew member, who was aboard the tug as it sank, was rescued and transported to Harborview Medical Center. That person was listed in good condition Sunday morning.
The tug is owned by NRC Environmental Services, a private response and cleanup contractor, which dispatched two other response vessels of its own after the tug sank.
Personnel from the state Department of Ecology and U.S. Coast Guard also are at the scene.
The Sea Born had an estimated 200 gallons of diesel fuel in its tanks when it sank, and it appears some of it may have leaked, Hart said.
"They've spotted some diesel fuel coming from the tug, and they're working now to get divers ... to go down, plug the vents and do any other kinds of assessment of potential damages, and then they'll try to raise the tug," Hart said.
He said responders are doing what they can to stop fuel from leaking, but the main goal is to raise the tug before it can cause environmental damage.
"The sooner we can get that tug up, the better everyone will be, and the better off our environment will be," Hart said.
But he said weather conditions right now aren't too favorable for raising the vessel.