VIRGINIA BEACH -- A barge carrying hazardous materials that broke free from a tug is closing in on Little Island Pier at Sandbridge. The barge is aground on the beach at Sandbridge, and winds are pushing it toward the pier.
The Coast Guard said Saturday that the barge is about 135 yards from the pier. Crews were able to slow the barge's progress toward the pier by filling ballast tanks with water. The barge has moved 7 yards in the last 12 hours. Officials are now working on a salvage plan.
A boarding party of about a half-dozen men went aboard Saturday. The team climbed up into the ship using a ladder from the beach.
The boarding team included Coast Guard personnel and men from Ft. Lauderdale-based Titan Salvage Company.
The team was looking for damaged containers, leaking containers, and anything that might have broken loose while the barge was adrift in heavy seas or aground on the beach.
The Coast Guard instructed the boarding team that if they discovered any chemical leaks or toxic spillage, they were to exit the barge immediately and notify the Virginia Beach HAZMAT team, which was on scene and standing by.
A command center was set up in the Little Island parking lot, and park was closed to the public. Hundreds of people were gathered outside the police lines to get a look at the barge.
According to the ship's manifest, it carries 84 HAZMAT loads, containing products such as syrup for soft drinks, alcohol, empty cylinders formerly containing water purification chemicals, etc. are on board, according to ship's owner Crowley Puero Rico Service, Inc.
The company says Titan Salvage has been engaged and a salvage master is on site. A naval architect and assistant salvage master are en route and removal plans are being developed.
Officials expect improving weather conditions to enhance salvage and removal efforts.
Just after noon Friday, a Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City hovered over the barge just after noon and two crewmembers were dropped to the deck to stabilize it with ballast in hopes of keeping it in place. They were hoisted from the deck about an hour later.
By noon Friday, the 570-foot barge had moved about 600 feet closer to shore, causing much concern to people in nearby condos.
The barge left San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 6 and was headed to Pennsauken, New Jersey (in the Philadelphia area).
Ogle says there's "very minimal exposure to the public and no evacuations are necessary."
The company says the barge and its cargo are intact and security is being established to prevent entrance to the barge by unauthorized personnel.
BARGE QUICK FACTS: (from the owner)
La Princesa – a non-self propelled vessel with no fuel tanks. It is a triple deck, 580-foot cargo barge.
Sentry – 136-foot long, 7,200 maximum horsepower, 6-man crew all of whom are safe.
Tow wires – 2 steel tow wires – each 2.25-inch diameter. both wires, which broke at the tug end are certificated and are under a periodic testing program. Once the wires are recovered they will be further inspected. each wire costs approximately $35,000 and has a breaking strength of over 500,000lbs. The wires are 2,700 feet long and when connected pull the barge about ¼ mile behind.
