Coast Guard Stops Vessel From Collision

Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) San Francisco directed three tugboats to help divert a 700-foot dry-dock barge from colliding with the San Francisco Bay Bridge today. At approximately 8 p.m. today a night watchman from Pier 70 in San Francisco noticed that the dry-dock vessel had broken loose and notified the Coast Guard. Upon notification, the Coast Guard directed three tug boats to intercept the adrift vessel. The Coast Guard worked closely with the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to ensure public safety on the Bay Bridge. The tug boats Brynn Foss and Andrew Foss of the Foss Maritime Co. and the Sharon Brusco of the Brusco Tug and Barge Co. maneuvered the drifting barge until it ran aground into the south end of Yerba Buena Island. Currently, Coast Guard marine safety investigators are assessing the situation. This is an ongoing investigation.