Divers inspected grounded tug and barge

There was no damage to the barge that ran aground late in the night of Mar 2 about 80 miles southeast of Sitka, but there was a small oil sheen spotted around the area. The "Ocean Eagle" was sailing through the Sumner Strait with a barge in tow when she grounded on Mariposa Reef. A helicopter from Air Station Sitka rescued the tug’s crew of five. The U.S. Coast Guard cutters "Liberty" and "Maple" arrived on scene Thursday morning, along with two additional tugs contracted by Brusco Tug & Barge, the owner of the "Ocean Eagle". In the morning of Mar 3, Alaska commercial divers inspected the barge and reported no damage. As of 2:30 p.m. divers were gearing up to inspect the tug’s hull for damage as well. There were 110,000 gallons of diesel aboard of which an estimated 15 gallons of diesel spilled from the tug’s day tank. Brusco Tug & Barge plans to tow the barge to Sitka. Pending the dive team’s assessment, the "Ocean Eagle" will be transported to Ketchikan.