Pusher tug and barge ground in New York

A tug and oil barge has grounded on the Hudson River in New York state, USA with 60,000 barrels of refined gasoline on board. Northbound articulated tug Meredith Reinauer ran aground close to the west shore of the river near Catskill in Greene County.

The tug was pulling barge RTC 150 with the equivalent of 8,400 tonnes of refined oil when it struck the sandy bottom of the river, according to local reports. The US Coast Guard sent its cutter Katherine Walker to the scene and provided aerial support to pollution response teams.

A survey of the accident indicated that no product was leaking into the water as the barge’s tanks were not punctured in the incident. Articulated tug Craig Eric Reinauer was assisting with the removal of the gasoline cargo from barge RTC 150 to another barge RTC 103.

The USCG were expecting to refloat the grounded tug and barge during the rising tide on the river and move them 10 km to a safe harbour for inspection. The tug and barges in this incident were operated by Reinauer Transportation Co.