A crane-carrying barge with a habit of sinking has sunk again at Tacoma marina
A crane-carrying barge sank at a marina along Marine View Drive in Tacoma early Monday and spilled about 25 gallons of pollutants in the water, the state Department of Ecology said Tuesday.
The barge has sunk “several times” in the past, said Ecology spokesman Ty Keltner. The barge is believed to be regularly moored at Tyee Marina, where it sank Monday.
Crews were going to attempt to raise the barge and crane at low tide Tuesday afternoon, he said.
Ecology began to get calls Monday when passersby noticed a sheen in the water near the marina at 5618 Marine View Drive.
The machinery is thought to have carried 10 gallons of diesel fuel and 15 gallons of hydraulic fluid, Keltner said.
“Anytime there’s oil that’s spilled, we consider it a concern and we want to take care of it,” he said.
Clean-up crews put a containment boom around where the barge sank. They attempted to clean up some of the pollutants using absorbing materials. Rough weather Monday hampered efforts, he said.
Ecology crews will continue remediation efforts and investigate the incident, Keltner said. It was too soon to say if fines would be imposed, he said.
The manager for Tyee Marina could not be reached for comment.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 3:12 PM.
