CG: Beached barge avoidable

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - The November Nor'easter wreaked havoc on Hampton Roads for three days, drenching the region in rain and whipping it with winds.

The water in the area became a danger zone for boats. Even the Coast Guard had to close its port for 44 hours.

"It started with barges jamming into the Surry nuclear power plant intake," said CAPT Mark Ogle, Sector Hampton Roads commander. "We had five ships dragging anchor out at Lynnhaven."

But one problem after another brought them back out to work.

When the storm cleared, the problem that got the most attention was the La Princesa, a container barge that broke free of its tugboat in the storm and got stuck in Sandbridge. The tugboat captain could do nothing but chase the barge.

"The wind was blowing him in the wrong direction and he shortened the line," said Ogle. "He did a lot of things to try to fight through it, but at the end of the day, it parted the towline."

A Coast Guard investigation found the weather caused the towline to break, but also found the tugboat captain could have called for help earlier.

"If he could call earlier, there's a possibility mind you that we could have done something."

Maritime rescues or assists take a lot of time, so the Coast Guard said every minute counts in starting an operation.

"The sooner we know we can mount a rescue, the better the rescue will be," said Ogle.

For days, the La Princesa sat just offshore, as Coast Guard crews tried to protect the nearby fishing pier and hotel. Only after 4fourdays of work were crews able to free the barge and get it back on its course to Philadelphia.

The Coast Guard said they issued the tugboat captain the lowest level reprimand.