Brandon Link News

A barge carrying more than 5 million gallons of home heating oil reportedly struck an unknown object and began taking on water near City Island, N.Y., at approximately 2:30 p.m., Jan 22. No pollution is reported at this time. The commercial tug Meredith C. Reinauer was pushing a barge to Boston, Mass., when they reportedly struck the object near Execution Rocks, N.Y. The master of the tug contacted the Coast Guard and reported the barge was taking on water in a ballasting void. The tug brought the barge to anchor off of Hart Island, N.Y. A Coast Guard 41-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Kings Point was quickly on scene to confirm that the vessel was not discharging any oil. Commercial divers from Randive, Inc.

The Coast Guard is investigating an allision between a ship and a pier at a fuel containment facility in Rensselaer, N.Y., that occurred at approximately, 12:30 p.m., on Dec. 29, 2008. There were no reports of injuries or pollution. The Sanko Phoenix, a 622 ft Liberian flagged bulk carrier, reportedly allided with the pier at the Ghetty fuel containment facility, causing significant damage. "The most important part of a case like this is that there were no injuries to the crews of the vessel or the facility and no pollution," said Lt. Brandon Link, a command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector New York. This incident is under investigation.