Grain Vessel Grounded In Columbia River
623 feet Bulker runs aground hitting a submerged object in a narrow part of the river near Cathlamet.
The Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier ran aground in a narrow stretch of the Columbia River near Cathlamet, Washington, just after midnight on Monday after it hit a submerged object. The hull got struck and pierced and the vessel took on water in void spaces, but the fuel tanks were not damaged, said the thirteenth district US Coast Guard.
The vessel was afloat by Monday afternoon and remained in place on the river. There are no reports of oil spill so far. The vessel has a full load of grain on board and additionally carries 218,230 gallons of high sulfur fuel and 39,380 gallons of marine diesel.
The USCG says that the vessel had a river pilot on board and was in the outbound lane when she ran into trouble. The exact cause of the incident is still under investigation.
“The vessel quickly activated its plan and all federal, state, and county responders mobilized immediately. This is a joint effort with both states and hopefully will just turn out to have been an exercise in mobilizing pollution response resources.” Said the Coast Guard Captain Of Port Of Columbia.
The vessel isn’t blocking the navigation channel so it is open to other vessels.
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Source: KOIN
