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Office of External Affairs |
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| News Release |
Date: Oct. 31, 2009 |
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UPDATE: 4th crewmember from sinking tugboat found safe |
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MOBILE, Ala. — The missing crewmember from a tugboat that partially sank in Mobile Bay Saturday has been found safe. The man was able to make it ashore in a 14-foot skiff and notified a local fire department that he safe. The vessel was reported to have sunk at approximately 3 a.m., Saturday, leaving its crew of four stranded. A rescue helicopter and crew form Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans located and rescued the other three people aboard the vessel at approximately 5 a.m. Saturday. With all persons aboard the tug safe and accounted for, the Coast Guard has switched to a pollution response stance to ensure the vessel's fuel does not escape into the environment. The tug is reported to have approximately 600 gallons of diesel fuel in its fuel tanks. A Coast Guard pollution team and investigators are en route to location of the partially sunk tug to mitigate the impact of any fuel and oil that may leak from the vessel. The cause of the incident is under investigation. ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790.
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