Milwaukee – Coast Guard pollution responders along with partners from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Milwaukee Harbor Patrol, the Port of Milwaukee and representatives of the towing vessel MICHIGAN are on-scene for the ongoing incident.
At 11:27 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan were notified by the National Response Center that the Towing Vessel MICHIGAN, a 112’ tug and barge, began taking on water at its moorings and partially sank in 26 feet of water.
The MICHIGAN has a maximum potential of 40,000 gallons of oil and fuel onboard. Coast Guard pollution responders confirmed that the vessel is not actively polluting and 100 feet of hard boom with absorbent material have been deployed as a preventative measure.
“At this point in time, the Coast Guard’s focus is the marine environmental protection and the potential waterway impacts,” said Capt. Seth Parker, Commander of Sector Lake Michigan.
U.S. Venture, owner of the MICHIGAN, has activated their vessel response plan and contracted a marine salvage organization to respond to the sunken vessel.
