T/B Maria Teresa; Frying Pan Shoals, North Carolina

Frying Pan Shoals, North Carolina | 1998-Sep-04

Initial Notification: Early on the morning of September 4, 1998, the tug Lady Jill lost her tow, the T/B Maria Teresa. The Maria Teresa's cargo was 307,000 gallons of liquid streptomyces. At 0400 hours, September 4 the vessel was about 9 miles south of the Cape Fear River. The Maria Teresa was drifting at 35? towards Frying Pan Shoals at 6 knots. At 0600 hours the Maria Teresa was approximately 11 miles offshore. The 0600 report suggested that the vessel may have been aground at this location. As the severe weather continued, the early morning report suggested that the tug was unable to approach the Maria Teresa due to shoal water. Salvage efforts and methods were discussed. No proposals were developed during the early hours of the incident. Weather on-scene was such that salvage efforts were not able to be started until September 5. Depending on weather, MSO Wilmington made a scheduled overflight of the barge to ensure accuracy of the reported location and to evaluate the status of the barge. USCG district 5. Keyword: potential.