Rowan McAllister Aids in Freighter Rescue

On June 8, the 439 ft. freighter Camilla Desgagnes, sailing from Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to Canada, caught fire 88 miles East of Ambrose Tower, about 20 miles off the Long Island Shore. Twenty crewmembers were aboard when the engine room fire broke out. No injuries were reported and the crew was able to remain on board after using the ship's CO2 fire suppressant system. The tug Rowan McAllister, in connection with salvor Titan Maritime, LLC, was dispatched to rescue the drifting freighter and crew. On the morning of June 9, Captain Pat Geiger of McAllister Towing and the crew of the Rowan arrived. Once alongside the burning freighter, the tug began hooking up to the ship in anticipation of towing it into New York Harbor while supplying the ship with water to fight the stubborn engine room fire. Once the disabled ship’s fire was extinguished, it was towed by the Rowan McAllister to Ambrose Tower. There, it was met by the assist tug Amy C. McAllister, who escorted the tug and tow to the Verrazano Narrows where a third assist tug, the Iona McAllister, met the flotilla. Docking Pilot Captain John Tooker boarded the crippled ship and with the assistance of the three 4,000 hp McAllister tugs navigated the Camilla to a repair berth at Port Newark.