Tugs Walley Blessey and Lake Charles; Sabine River, Orange County, Texas

Sabine River, Orange County, Texas | 1992-Mar-11

Initial Notification: On March 11, 1992, at approximately 0200, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Marine Safety Office (MSO) Port Arthur received a report of a collision between two tugs pushing barges at about mile marker 266 of the Sabine River in Orange County, Texas. The tug Walley Blessey pushing two loaded toluene barges had been westbound, and the tug Lake Charles had been eastbound at the time of the collision. The crew of the Walley Blessey determined that toluene was pouring from a damaged cargo tank on one of the toluene barges. The crew of the tug boomed around the leaking barge until they were notified by the USCG not to boom because of the danger of an explosion. The Gulf Strike Team was called at 0330 to provide traffic control. The tug's crew managed to plug the leak at 0245 by using a wooden plug wrapped in neoprene. The product was lost because the movement of the barge allowed it to slosh out of the six-inch hole near the top of the tank. The final estimate of product lost was something less then 50 barrels The incident was closed on the same day. USCG district 8. Keyword: none.