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Office of External Affairs | |
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| Press Release |
Date: May. 30, 2008 |
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COAST GUARD RESPONDS TO TOWING VESSEL CASUALTY AND POLLUTION ON THE MISSOURI RIVER | |
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St Charles, Mo - In cooperation with state and local authorities as well as the vessel owner, the Coast Guard is responding to a casualty on board the towing vessel OMAHA. At approximately 2:05 AM this morning, towing vessel OMAHA reported to the Coast Guard that they were taking on water with 7 persons on board. In order to mitigate the risk to the crew, the vessel crew intentionally grounded the vessel along the bank of the Missouri River and used mooring lines to secure it to the shore. All persons were successfully rescued from the bank of the river by the response vessels from the local fire department. There were no reported injuries. The OMAHA continued to take on water and is currently partially submerged along the bank of the Missouri River. There is evidence of an oil sheen in the vicinity of the vessel which does have fuel and lube oil on board. At the present time, the Coast Guard is engaged in a joint response to mitigate the potential for pollution as a result of this incident. Agencies and organizations participating in this response include the Missouri State Water Patrol, the River's Point Fire Protection District, the St Charles local emergency planning committee, the Missouri State Department of Natural Resources, the St Louis Metro Police Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the vessel owner. The cause of this incident is under investigation by the Coast Guard. ### U.S. Coast Guard - Saving lives since 1790 | |
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