Salvagers Try to Raise Sunken Barge
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
7 October 2011
By Bill Vidonic
Ohio River traffic resumed on Thursday near the Emsworth Locks and
Dam as a salvage crew worked to raise a sunken barge.
Officials said the captain of the towboat Connie K. avoided what
could have been a much bigger cleanup effort by cutting the barge
loose from eight others as it began sinking on Wednesday evening.
"It was a head-up decision," said Ian McKelvey, assistant lock
master.
The captain of the vessel, who identified himself as Don Williams,
said he could not comment.
The Coast Guard will investigate what caused the barge to sink
nearly a mile downstream of the Emsworth facility, said Jeffrey
Hawk, spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers. He said it could
take crews until sometime today to raise the barge.
McKelvey said it's rare for a barge to sink.
The crew from Neville-based River Salvage Co. dredged several tons
of sand from the barge, submerged in about 9 feet of water, and
put the sand on another barge.
Shortly before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the captain radioed the locks
and dam to say that one of nine barges was sinking. Five barges
had sand, and four carried limestone gravel, with the cargo headed
upriver, Hawk said.
After cutting loose the sinking barge, McKelvey said, the captain
secured the rest of his cargo nearby. There were no injuries.
Authorities closed the river's navigation channel about 10:30 p.m.
and reopened it about 12 hours later, McKelvey said. The shutdown
affected only a couple of tows, he said.
The salvage company and barge owner, Campbell Transportation of
Houston in Washington County, did not return phone messages.
Bill Vidonic can be reached at bvidonic@tribweb.com or
412-480-7306.