Nash gets partially refloated and towed to its disposal location
Barges Nash (left) and Kenny under tow on the afternoon of the accident. The Nash is heeled to its starboard side. (Image Credit: Salmon Bay Barge Line)
NTSB has issued marine accident brief on the sinking of tank barge Nash, towed by towing vessel Calvin.
The tank barges Nash and Kenny were fully loaded with liquid magnesium chloride and being towed by the uninspected towing vessel Calvin from Guerrero Negro, Mexico, to British Columbia, Canada, when the Nash began to list noticeably to its starboard side about 1145 on June 8, 2014. Listing and trimming by the stern increased over the next 6 hours, and the US Coast Guard directed the Calvin captain to tow the Nash to a nearby anchorage. About 1805, the Nash sank stern first in 240 feet of water, about 3 nautical miles west of Point Conception, California.
About a week after the sinking, a salvage team partially refloated the Nash and towed it to its disposal location about 17 nautical miles from shore.
| Probable Cause |
| The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the sinking of tank barge Nash was flooding of the aft starboard-side void tank. The mechanism for entry of flooding water to this tank could not be determined because the barge was not salvaged and was not available for examination after it sank. |
For more information please read the Marine Accident Brief by clicking below:
Source: NTSB
