On Thursday afternoon, a rogue barge drifting in Elliott Bay slammed into the marina close to Pier 66, prompting brief calls for evacuation.
According to the Seattle Times, the evacuation was subsequently cancelled, the vessel has been secured, and there have been no reported casualties, according to David Cuerpo, a spokeswoman for the Seattle Fire Department. The Coast Guard sent word at 1:25 p.m. that the terminal 18 floating platform was headed in the direction of Pier 66 in Elliott Bay.
Capt. Dan Krehbiel, who was directing the King County Water Taxi from West Seattle to Pier 50, noticed the barge floating without any tugboats around 1 p.m. He and his crew steered the water taxi, the MV Doc Maynard, towards the barge, which was loaded with containers. They used the ferry’s bow to push the loose platform away from the waterfront and towards the less busy Pier 66 marina, the Seattle Times report.
Barge broke free and fast ferry just pushed it away from the waterfront. Looks like it ran into the Seattle Aquarium pier. @KING5Seattle @komonews @fox13seattle pic.twitter.com/yGxiRPq2WD
— Kara Johnson (@TrueNWGirl29) November 2, 2023
The barge was not damaged and taxi service was delayed by just 15 minutes. Three tugboats took control of the barge and began transporting it to Terminal 115. The Port of Seattle will conduct an assessment of what happened, and the Coast Guard is still gathering information, including who owns the barge and how it came loose.
