Second Tug Sinks Off New York’s Atlantic Beach

A crewmember sustained serious injuries Wednesday when a 38-foot tugboat capsized and sank after taking on water approximately three miles south of Atlantic Beach, N.Y, the second such incident in just two days in the area.

The Coast Guard said it was notified at approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday that the towing vessel “SEA LION” was taking on water. After two pilot boats rescued four people aboard the tug, the vessel sank at 4:11 p.m. Of the four, one was reported having serious injuries, the Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard Station Jones Beach and Station Sandy Hook arrived on scene at approximately 5:20 p.m. and medically evacuated the four mariners. The mariners were transferred to an EMS team standing by at the Atlantic Beach bridge.

The towing vessel was transiting to the New York harbor at the time of the incident. No oil leaks or environmental damages have been reported and the cause of the incident is currently under investigation.

The incident follows the sinking of a 26 foot tug off Atlantic Beach on Monday night after it separated from the barge it was towing in a large swell. The barge later ran aground along a beach at Silver Point County Park. There were no injuries reported in that incident.

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