Life on a tugboat can be tough. Tugs are small vessels with very big engines, with just enough buoyancy to stay afloat and upright. They generate great forces and move around vessels much, much larger than themselves in often challenging conditions. A quick look at three tug casualties in the last few days. Fortunately there were no reported fatalities.
In the English Channel on Saturday morning, nine miles off the coast of Dungeness, the general cargo vessel, Rickmers Dubai, cut between the tug boat Kingston and its tow, the crane bargeWalcon Wizard, resulting in all three vessels colliding. The crane barge was reported to be seriously damaged but no crew injuries were reported. As a general rule, never, ever, cut between a tug and its tow. Three Vessels Collide in English Channel
On Monday, the 26′ long tug Pushy sank after losing of the 126′ deck barge, Weeks 236, which it had in tow afterwhat the Coast Guard described as “an interaction with a large swell” off of Atlantic Beach, Long Island, not far from New York harbor. A nearby tug, Susan Miller, rescued the three crew on the sinking tug and a NY City Police helicopter recused a crew member on the barge. The deck barge carrying construction equipment washed up on a local beach. Pushy Tug Sinks Off Long Island
Yesterday, a second tug, the Sea Lion, also sank off Atlantic Beach. The Coast Guard received a Mayday call around 3PM, reporting that the tug was taking on water. The Coast Guard rescued two crew from the water while professional photographer Bjoern Kils, who was doing commercial work on a boat nearby, rescued two others. The Coast Guard reports that one of the four mariners rescued was seriously injured. Crew Members Recovering After Tugboat Sinks Off Long Island