Tugboat Sinks on Mississippi River Near New Orleans

Posted in Jones Act,Louisiana Maritime News,Tug Boat Accidents on April 6, 2012

The tugboat Altro Donna sank after alliding with a piling near Commodore Dock in Marrero, Louisiana with three crewmembers onboard.  

According to the U.S. Coast Guard report, at approximately 12:10 a.m Friday a call came in that Altro Donna allided with the piling and sank while transiting downbound pushing eight empty red-flag barges.  The Altro Donna reportedly had a tank onboard with an estimated 11,500 gallons of diesel fuel and 52 gallons of lube oil. All three crewmembers disembarked safely before the vessel sank.

On the scene are five pollution responders from Sector New Orleans and five response personnel from ES & H, as well as one 26-foot response boat from ES & H, to mitigate any pollution that may have occurred.

No injuries were reported and the river remained open following the incident.