Kirby 29703 Incident; Gulf of Mexico, Offshore

Gulf of Mexico, Offshore | 2009-Apr-18

Initial Notification: On Friday morning, 17 April 2009, USCG Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur reported that a barge was observed damaged and adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. The observer reported that the barge appeared to have bene sheared in half and discharging an unknown material. Later it was determined that the barge, Kirby 29703 was in two pieces, and the bow section alone had been initially observed. The stern portion of the barge was initially attached to the tug, later released, and then sunk on its own. NOAA was requested to provide trajectory support to the USCG.