http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/towing_firm_involved_in_oil_sp.htmlTowing firm involved in oil spill had another boat sink days earlier
by Meghan Gordon, The Times-Picayune
Saturday July 26, 2008, 7:36 AM
Eleven days before the Mel Oliver tugboat and its cargo collided with an ocean tanker and touched off a devastating oil spill, the Harvey towing firm saw another of its tugs sink in a Mississippi River wreck.
The Ruby E, a 56-foot tugboat, sank July 12 after colliding with the Martin Challenger near Westwego, about four miles upriver from the site of Wednesday's accident that has wreaked massive economic and environmental damage to southeast Louisiana.
DRD Towing of Harvey operated both the Mel Oliver and the Ruby E, the Coast Guard confirmed Friday. But unlike this week's wreck, the Ruby E crew was properly licensed and not transporting any cargo at the time, said Coast Guard spokesman Mike O'Berry.
None of the Mel Oliver crewmembers had the proper licenses to operate on the river. The crewman piloting the vessel should have had a master's license but had only an apprentice mate's license, according to the Coast Guard....(more)
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/coast_guard_allows_50_ships_in.htmlCoast Guard allows 50 ships in spill zone
by Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune
Saturday July 26, 2008, 4:39 PM
As clean-up crews on Saturday reached the 10 percent-mark in the massive effort to mop up more than 400,000 gallons of spilled fuel oil from the Mississippi River, the Coast Guard expanded traffic to allow 50 ships to travel inside the 100-mile spill zone.
Officials with American Commercial Lines, which is leading the cleanup effort, reported at a 3 p.m. news conference in Belle Chase that they have collected about 48,000 gallons of oil.
Meanwhile, wildlife conservation officials said they have received reports of 67 oiled birds and numerous oiled mammals, though crews have captured only a single dove.
"It's a very difficult process to react quickly and find the critter," said Tom MacKenzie of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ...(more)
Picture of an oiled egret (link to picture) :
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