PORTSMOUTH HARBOR, Maine – The Coast Guard responded to a Denmark-based oil and chemical tanker that struck bottom in the Piscataqua River near the Irving Terminal at 10:30 p.m., Wednesday.
The 528-foot tanker Torm Mary is safely moored at the Irving Pier and there are no reports of pollution at this time.
Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor dispatched a 25-foot response boat crew at 11:19 p.m., after receiving a phone call from Moran Tugs reporting that the Torm Mary’s stern had struck the bottom of the river.
Marine Safety Detachment Portsmouth Harbor sent a marine casualty investigator and inspector and a pollution investigator to the tanker to determine the extent of the damage.
The tanker crew has been instructed to stay in port until a dive survey and an inspection can be completed by a risk management company.
Drug and alcohol tests were conducted on the involved parties and produced negative results.
“Our biggest concern at this point is pollution,” said Lt. Dan Satterfield, officer in charge of the Marine Safety Detachment Portsmouth Harbor. “We will work with the tanker’s crew to ensure the vessel is structurally sound before it leaves port.”