Guard Marine Safety Office New Orleans News

Parker 14 J that collapsed off the Mississippi-Louisiana coast yesterday. (U.S. Coast Guard photo). The 41 people aboard an offshore drilling rig that collapsed off the Mississippi-Louisiana coast yesterday afternoon have been rescued. Eight people were injured in the accident and were taken by New Orleans-based Coast Guard helicopters to Gulfport Regional Airport for further transfer by awaiting EMS personnel to Gulfport Memorial Hospital. With the extent of the injuries still unknown…

The U.S. Coast Guard has concluded its search for five crewmen missing since their offshore supply vessel sank near Pilottown, La., Saturday, and is, as of Tuesday, February 24, overseeing recovery and salvage operations to safely remove the vessel from the Southwest Pass. The Coast Guard called off its search and rescue efforts at about 5 p.m. after a final search of the area failed to locate any survivors. Coast Guard assets have been continuously involved in the search since they arrived at the scene of the accident at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, February 21. Also assisting in the search were personnel and resources from Plaquemines Parish, the New Orleans Port Authority, the La. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Navy.

New Orleans -Coast Guard personnel and state officials investigated an incident where a crane barge floated away from its moorings at approximately 8 p.m. Sunday night and hit the Huey P. Long Bridge. No one was injured and the bridge was not damaged in the accident. The barge was originally moored at the Avondale Shipyard facility, with three smaller barges connected to it. The lines that moored the barge to the dock broke and it floated approximately 200-yards down river striking the bridge. The crane struck the underside of the bridge, snagging on some tension wires. The barge did not hit any of the stone foundations, supporting the bridge. The barge did partically block a portion of the ship channel, but vessel traffic was not seriously affected.

The Greek master of a commercial ship pleaded guilty and was charged Thursday with operating his vessel while intoxicated. Nikolaos Zografos was charged before a U.S. magistrate judge with being drunk while aboard the 580-foot freight ship Winner at St. John's Buoys, near Reserve, La. Zografos pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to one-year probation, restriction from being a master or licensed officer on any vessel in U.S. waters for the duration of his probation and received a $5,500 fine. On Oct. 28, contract workers cleaning cargo holds aboard Winner informed the Coast Guard that the master appeared intoxicated. Lt. Boris…

Personnel from Coast Guard Marine Safety Office New Orleans and the New Orleans Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire aboard a ship on the Mississippi River near the Napoleon Street Wharf yesterday. All personnel aboard the 560-foot German-flagged container ship Libra Rio Grand safely evacuated after a fire was reported in the boat's engine room around 10:45 a.m. The engine room was sealed, and the ship's fire CO2 extinguishing system put out the fire. MSO New Orleans sent a pollution response team, investigating officer, and a foreign vessel inspection team to the scene to investigate. An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter rescue crew was also dispatched to conduct an overflight assessment. Two crewmembers were taken to Charity Hospital with minor injuries. No pollution was reported.

An Alabama resident and master of an inland towing vessel was sentenced Thursday for a January 2004 incident where he was found to be operating in U.S. waters under the influence of alcohol. Daniel L. Ferrell, 63, of Atmore Ala., was sentenced by Judge James J. Brady of the U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, La., to serve two years probation, 100 hours of community service and will be required to participate in an alcohol assessment program. On Jan. 16, 2004, Ferrell was piloting the City of Port Allen when it struck the Brusly Railroad Lift Bridge on the Port Allen-Morgan City alternate route waterway. Investigators from the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Unit in Baton Rouge who responded to the initial incident tested Ferrell for alcohol.

Investigators from Coast Guard Marine Safety Office New Orleans are responding this morning to a vessel collision at about mile marker 144 of the Lower Mississippi River near Garyville, La. towboat Cooperative Spirit, occurred at about 12:30 a.m. traffic. side. river. transfers of the product which mitigated further discharge. owner, Ceres Hellenic Shipping Ent. air monitoring tests. The Bow Lion is at anchorage at the LaPlace Anchorage in LaPlace, La. Xylene has been compared to paint thinner. drowsiness. the casualty.