Sabine Jetties News

In the course of a busy weekend Coast Guard Houston crews suspended their search for two missing wade fishermen near the mouth of the Brazos River Sunday afternoon, rescued four with the Galveston Fire Department from a sinking boat near Sea Wolf Park Sunday morning and assisted five people in a disabled boat drifting toward the Sabine Pass jetties Saturday evening. A bystander watched the two wade fishermen get washed out Saturday and called for help. The Coast Guard began searching by boat and helicopter. Gulf Coast Rescue Squad and Texas Equusearch, both volunteer organizations, have searched as well, but all efforts without success and the search has been suspended. At 5:47 p.m.

PORT ARTHUR, Texas – Investigators from Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Port Arthur are monitoring the grounding of the Integrated Tug and Barge (ITB) Mobile approximately 1.5 miles south of the Sabine Jetties here. No injuries were reported, and initial inspections of the 691-foot U.S.-flagged ITB have found no flooding, loss of cargo or fuel. Mobile’s owner, ITB Mobile LLC, has made an attempt to remove the ship from its hard-aground position without success. Additional tug boats are being called to the scene to assist with the removal operation and are expected to be on scene. The vessel is not obstructing navigation, and the port remains open to traffic. Mobile was en route to Ft.

PORT ARTHUR, Texas - Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Port Arthur is monitoring the grounding of the Integrated Tug and Barge (ITB) Mobile approximately one mile south of the Sabine Jetties here. The 691-foot ITB carrying approximately 330,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel fuel went aground early last Wednesday (July 20, 2005) morning. There have been no injuries or pollution reported as a result of this grounding. The Mobile is hard aground and was unable to be removed by ocean-going tug boats earlier in the week. The Coast Guard is working with Mobile’s owners, ITB Mobile LLC, and other agencies to commence a cargo removal operation in order to re-float the Mobile. Cargo removal operations are expected to commence soon.

PORT ARTHUR, Texas - The 691-foot Integrated Tug and Barge (ITB) Mobile, which grounded about one mile south of the Sabine jetties Wednesday, was re-floated at 7:42 a.m. yesterday. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Port Arthur has been monitoring the salvage operation, which required the removal of approximately 3.8 million gallons of gasoline before the ITB could be floated free. There have been no reports of injuries, pollution or damage to the vessel as a result of the incident. The ITB is expected to depart for Port Everglades, Fla., later today. The cause of this accident is under investigation.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two men after their boat sank about 5 miles off the Sabine Pass Jetties in Sabine, Texas, early this morning. The two shrimp fishermen from Houma, La., were en route to Texas on the Water World, a 92-foot shrimping boat, when they were caught in the storm. The boats emergency radio beacon signaled to the Coast Guard they were in trouble at 5:30 a.m. The crew made a 'MAYDAY' call to the Coast Guard at about 5:45 a.m. and at the same time the Sabine Sheriff's Department sighted flares. Coast Guard Air Station Houston launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter which rescued the fishermen at about 8 a.m. Heavy rains, strong winds and rough seas from Hurricane Claudette hindered the search. beacon signal at 5:30 a.m. when they began to sink.

A 406 MHz EPIRB alert was detected for 66-ft. F/V Catfish Fleet 32. The F/V was aground on the Sabine jetties and its crew was firing flares. Within 20 minutes, the vessel sank. A Coast Guard Station (CGSTA) Sabine utility boat (UTB) recovered all four crewmembers in good condition.