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Report on barge loss published

The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its report on thesinking of the tank barge "Nash" on June 8, 2014, which was under tow, along with barge "Kenny", by the "Calvin" at the time of the incident.In its executive summary, the NTSB noted that both barges were fully loaded with liquid magnesium chloride and being towed from Guerrero Negro to British Columbia, when the "Nash" began to list noticeably to its starboard side about 11.45 a.m. on June 8. Listing and trimming by the stern increased over the next six hours, and the U.S. Coast Guard directed the "Calvin" captain to tow the "Nash" to a nearby anchorage. About 6.05 p.m. the "Nash" sank stern first in 240 feet of water, about three nautical miles west of Point Conception. The "Calvin" was pulled astern, and the captain released the winch brake to allow the towline to unspool from the winch. About a week after the sinking, a salvage team partially refloated the "Nash" and towed it to its disposal location about 17 nautical miles from shore where it was scuttled on June 16 on a water depth of 2500 feet. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the sinking of the barge was flooding of the aft starboard side void tank. The mechanism for entry of flooding water to this tank could not be determined because the barge was not salvaged and was not available for examination after it sank. Full report: http://ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MAB1512.pdf

Sunken barge scuttled

The 260 ft-barge “Nash” which was being towed by the "Calvin", got in distress near the Point Conception State Marine Reserve on June 8, 2014. Around 12:15 p.m. the Coast Guard received a distress call from the "Calvin", reporting that the "Nash" was sinking. The barge had a cargo of 3,900 metric tons of magnesium chloride, a non-hazardous derivative of sea water. The barge sank stern first leaving the bow extended above the water. During the sinking, air spaces in the aft cargo tanks were crushed and the hull breached. The barge rested approximately 1/2 mile south of the oil and gas pipelines extending from the Freeport-McMorRan Hermosa Platform to the shore near Point Conception. Tugs maintained watch over the wreckage to ensure it did not shift or move during salvage efforts. The cargo of Magnesium Chloride was largely released during the initial sinking event with no projected or observed environmental impact. A Unified Command Post was established with representatives from the Coast Guard, California’s Department of Fish & Wildlife, and Global Diving & Salvage to protect marine life and environmental concerns and ensure the safety of salvage operations. The Coast Guard worked closely with the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, and the National Marine Fisheries Service to designate a deep ocean disposal location offshore where the barge could be scuttled safely with minimal impact to the environment offshore on June 17, 2014. The owner of the barge, the Seattle-based Salmon Bay Barge Line, Inc., had contracted with Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. to provide a team of marine salvors to restore sufficient buoyancy to the badly damaged hull to allow it to be towed away from the sensitive area. The Coast Guard worked closely with the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, and the National Marine Fisheries Service to designate a deep ocean disposal location offshore where the barge could be scuttled safely with minimal impact to the environment. Reports with photos: http://www.independent.com/news/2014/jun/18/shipping-barge-capsizes-point-conception/ http://www.keyt.com/news/-sinking-barge-removed-from-santa-barbara-county-coast/26558962