Crews to attempt to refloat barge

ILWACO, Wash. – Salvage crews aided by a helicopter worked Tuesday to prepare a grounded oil barge for an attempt to float it out of a narrow, rocky southwest Washington cove.

The cargo holds of the 2.6 million-gallon barge Millicoma were empty when it ran aground last weekend, but a double-hulled fuel tank contained 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of diesel oil. The Coast Guard said there is no indication any of that fuel has leaked.

The helicopter has linked the heavy-duty vessel Salvage Chief to the barge. Weather permitting, the recovery plan called for three tugs to help brace the Chief offshore at high tide today as it tries to winch the barge back into the water.

If necessary, that refloating attempt could be postponed until midday high tides Thursday or Friday, said Sam Sacco of Seattle-based Foss Maritime, whose tug was pulling the barge when it broke loose in rough weather late Saturday.

Plans to remove the diesel were scrapped Tuesday because the fuel is needed to power the barge’s lights and electrical system during the rescue attempt, Sacco said.

The barge was being prepared by crews from Coos Bay, Ore.-based Sause Brothers Ocean Towing, which owns the 350-foot by 76-foot vessel, and Portland, Ore.-based Fred Devine Diving & Salvage, which owns the 202-foot Salvage Chief.

The Salvage Chief “has got huge anchors on it, which enable it to stabilize and then use its winches to pull whatever it is off where it’s grounded,” Sacco said from the scene.

Air blowers were placed aboard the barge to help create buoyant “bubbles” in empty fuel tanks damaged when it went aground, Sacco said. Five of the 15 tanks were damaged, said spokeswoman Sandy Howard with the state Department of Ecology.

The barge’s hydraulic and electrical systems are working, which will help, Sacco said. The Salvage Chief winches will be turned on at 11:47 a.m. Wednesday – high tide.

The Millicoma was being towed in tandem with the barge Sitka when its towing cable snapped late Saturday as the tug Henry Foss moved them across the historically dangerous Columbia River bar in rough weather.

Both barges were empty and headed for drydock, Sacco said. The Sitka was brought safely to Portland, Ore.

The Millicoma drifted 3.5 miles and came to rest in a narrow cove near the North Head Lighthouse, at the base of rocky bluffs on the Washington side of the Columbia River’s mouth.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Mike Zolzer at the onsite command center confirmed there’s been no sign of leaking fuel.