UPDATE: We are saddened to report that the injured crewmember, the boat’s chief engineer, died in a Toronto hospital Wednesday morning. The man, along with the five other crewmembers, have not yet been identified.
Original: A mariner is in critical condition after suffering severe burns after the 105-foot, US-flagged tugboat, Patrice McAllister, caught fire in the Canadian waters of Lake Ontario Tuesday night. 6 crew were on board and unconfirmed reports indicate the tug was pushing a barge at the time the fire broke out. The injured person was MEDEVAC’d by a Canadian helicopter crew and taken to a hospital in Belleville, Ontario, and was later transferred to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo received an alert from an emergency position indicating radio beacon registered to the vessel, which provided them with an exact location about seven miles south of Prince Edward Point, Ontario.
A U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue crew responded aboard an MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter from Air Station Detroit, and Canadian rescue crews launched aboard a C-130 aircraft, Griffin helicopter and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Cape Hearne, a 47-foot Cape Class motor lifeboat from Kingston, Ontario.
A commercial salvage company has been contracted to tow the vessel to the freight dock in Clayton, N.Y., where U.S. Coast Guard marine inspectors will meet it. There are no reports of pollution.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
(Bloomberg) — The biggest labor union at South Africa’s state-owned port and rail company are starting final talks with a third-party arbitrator to resolve a wage dispute and stave off...
The US and China will temporarily lower tariffs on each other’s products in a dramatic ratcheting down of trade tensions that buys the world’s two largest economies three months to work toward a broader agreement.
Finland’s premier icebreaker designer, Aker Arctic, has been awarded a contract to develop a new state-of-the-art mid-size icebreaker. The effort is part of a major fleet renewal program to ready Finland's icebreaking fleet for the changing requirements in the Baltic Sea. The country is also part of the ICE Pact with Finnish yards looking to construct icebreakers for Canada and the U.S.
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
