Port Re-Opens to Deep-Draft Vessels

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port for Brunswick, Ga., has re-opened the port to deep-draft vessels Thursday at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The captain of the port made the decision to re-open the port to deep-draft vessels after an Army Corps of Engineers depth survey that did not indicate any obstructions that might compromise the safety of additional deep-draft traffic.

An initial damage assessment of the Centaurus Leader revealed a two inch wide by 22-foot long gash in the hull of the ship. Initial assessments revealed that the gash has affected an empty fuel oil tank on board the ship preventing the release of any oil into the water.

Coast Guard officials are working with the owners of the vessel and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to prevent damage to an adjacent tank holding 140,000 gallons of heavy oil and to eliminate the potential of any oil being released into the waterway.

Spill response equipment has been brought to the site and oil containment boom has been placed around the vessel as a preventative measure. Temporary repairs will be made once an approved formal repair plan has been submitted to the captain of the port in writing

There are no reports of injuries associated with this incident, and the Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the grounding.

The Centaurus Leader is 656-foot long Panamanian-flagged roll on, roll off container ship.