The U.S. Coast Guard is working with contractors and the owner of a seagoing tug and empty tank barge Monday, after the vessels became beached in the vicinity of East Beach on Galveston Island Sunday during remnants of Hurricane Patricia.
The Peter F Gellatly and barge Double Skin 504 grounded after drifting from their anchorage and across the Houston Ship Channel. All 6 crew members remained onboard and were unharmed, reports said.
AIS as of Monday morning showed the tug still ‘stopped’ just a few hundred yards from the beach. Salvage operations were expected to begin once weather allowed.
No pollution has been reported and there are no reports of damage to either the tug or barge. The barge is not loaded with liquid cargo; however there are approximately 6,000 gallons of oil waste aboard, stored in smaller tanks on the upper portion of the barge, the Coast Guard said.
Winds on Sunday were reportedly blowing at about 40 mph.
