A tugboat crew was swiftly rescued after their vessel sank into the Mississippi River following a collision with a tanker ship in Louisiana. The U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday that an investigation is underway regarding the incident, and confirmed that the river remains open for navigation.
St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne reported that his office was informed of the collision involving the tanker ship and tugboat near the Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge in Luling, Louisiana, on Sunday night. “Preliminary information indicates that all crew members aboard the tugboat have been successfully rescued,” Champagne stated in a Facebook post around 10 p.m. on Sunday.
According to information obtained by WWL-TV, the sheriff’s office revealed that the tanker ship was traveling upriver when it collided with the tugboat, causing the smaller vessel to submerge. Emergency medical personnel assessed the crew and were prepared to transport them to a hospital for treatment if required, as per the sheriff’s office.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s 8th District office in New Orleans, also known as Coast Guard Heartland, dispatched personnel to the scene. However, by the time Guard crews arrived, the five individuals who had entered the river during the collision had already been rescued.
The tugboat, identified as the Patrick J. Studdert, sank in a section of the river measuring 90 feet (27.4 meters) deep, according to the Coast Guard. Authorities stated that an evaluation will be conducted to determine any potential environmental impacts resulting from the accident site in Luling, located approximately 23 miles (37 kilometers) west of New Orleans.
