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VIRGINIA BEACH

A 570-foot barge loaded with containers full of hazardous chemicals, including chlorine, broke free of its tug last night and has run aground in Sandbridge about a quarter mile north of Little Island Park, Coast Guard officials reported this morning.

Emergency officials stressed that at this time no chemicals appear to have leaked. The area where the barge grounded is largely uninhabited, they said, and they have not ordered any evacuations.

“Our exposure to the public is very, very minimal,” said Bill Burket, director of the maritime incident response team for the Virginia Port Authority.

But heavy seas have kept the vessel from settling hard aground and it is drifting south at about 1 knot toward the Little Island fishing pier. The Coast Guard and other emergency officials are monitoring the barge to determine whether it can be safely brought to port.

The unmanned barge, named La Princesa, was being towed off Cobb Island about 2 a.m. when the cable connecting it to the tug snapped, said Capt. Mark Ogle, the commander of Sector Hampton Roads and captain of the port. The barge was headed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Pennsauken, N.J.

The tug continued to shadow the barge as it drifted toward the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Ogle said. Officials, worried that the barge would drift toward and hit the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, sent another tug to try to corral the barge, but it hit 20-foot seas and had to turn around.

The first tug continued to follow the barge, which passed Virginia Beach and headed toward Sandbridge where it became grounded off shore about 6:30 a.m. today. It grounded in front of the southernmost condominium development in that area, Burket said.

The barge was bobbing up and down this morning off shore about 8 a.m., Ogle said, and continuing a slight move south. As it heads south, it is approaching Little Island Park and False Cape State Park. North Carolina authorities also have been notified.

The barge is carrying about 30 different types of chemicals, Ogle said. They are enclosed in 40- to 45-foot containers.

The Virginia Beach Fire Department sent its hazardous materials team to the beach early this morning and saw no sign that any containers had failed or chemicals had been released, said Battalion Chief John Harvey. The department’s main concern is that the barge will hit the fishing pier.

The Coast Guard is weighing options to try to get control of the barge, Ogle said.

"As the seas subside, we’ll see what happens," Ogle said.

The barge is carrying about 30 different types of chemicals, Ogle said. They are enclosed in 40- to 45-foot containers.

The Virginia Beach Fire Department sent its hazardous materials team to the beach early this morning and saw no sign that any containers had failed or chemicals had been released, said Battalion Chief John Harvey. The department’s main concern is that the barge will hit the fishing pier.

Ogle said the Coast Guard will investigate how the barge broke free of the tug, which was owned and operated by Crowley Puerto Rico Services.

As of this morning, the Port of Hampton Roads remains closed to vessel traffic and cargo handling. Ogle said his goal is to reopen it as quickly as possible but only once it is safe to do so.

The rough seas have caused a number of problems on area waterways, Ogle said. Among them:

· Surry Nuclear Power Plant was at risk of shutting down Thursday afternoon when a construction barge on the James River broke free and drifted near the plant’s intake inlet. The Coast Guard scrambled a Moran tug, which moved the barge to Fort Eustis.

· Three large vessels were dragging their anchors at Lynnhaven anchorage. Two were sent to sea and one to Cape Charles anchorage. Several boats on the Elizabeth River were also dragging anchor but were able to be secured with second anchors.

· On Thursday at Lynnhaven Inlet, a 1,500-foot piece of dredge pipe broke free and became strung across the inlet. It has been secured to one side of the bank, but anchors and cabling may still be in the water. The Coast Guard is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to resolve the problem.

· A barge broke free on the James near Rushmore, taking out several recreational docks before the Virginia Marine Resources Commission was able to secure it.

· A merchant vessel whose fuel has become contaminated is asking permission to enter the port, but officials are weighing whether to let it do so. The Ocean Titan is about 15 miles from Cape Henry and running low on fuel. Ogle said it will probably put in at Lynnhaven anchorage for the time being. “We want to save the ship, but we don’t want to threaten the bridges and tunnels.”

Barge breaks away from tug, threatens pier at Sandbridge | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

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[drawinout]

I saw pictures of it earlier on another site. It looks closer from this angle then the other side of the pier, but it's still awful close. If she's still moving, I'd say you can probably kiss LIP goodbye.

[BLACK PEARL]

At 4:30 PM it's 100 yard away.

[drawinout]

Dang! It's not looking good for Sandbridge Pier!

[Mega Bite]

They will have to use explosives to get her out the sand

[ninet3mudluvr]

Or they could use giant airbags...

[Andrew K]

heard tonight they can't stop it from drifting and the next high tide it will most likely hit it.

i may go down there tonight and see if i can see anything.

[jimbob]

It hasn`t been on tv this morning is the pier still there

[Knot Wish'n]

Still there. Jake is down there now.
Todd