Bald Head Island ferry Patriot back in slip after running aground
Bald Head Island ferry Patriot back in slip after running aground
SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — The Bald Head Island ferry Patriot is back in its slip at Deep Point Marina in Southport after running aground Thursday morning.
Officials with the Bald Head Island Transportation Authority said crews freed the vessel from a shoal near the entrance to the Bald Head Island Marina around 10 a.m. Friday. TowBoat US assisted in removing the ferry from the sand and towing it back to the marina.
The ferry stopped suddenly around 7 a.m. Thursday at an area known as “The Cut,” the jettied entrance to the marina.
Authorities said 105 passengers were evacuated by two smaller boats and brought safely back to shore. No injuries were reported.
Ferry service was disrupted and temporarily suspended following the grounding, but officials said service has since resumed.
The transportation authority plans to spend much of the weekend inspecting the Patriot and investigating what caused the incident.
An underwater assessment found a steel cable wrapped around the ferry’s starboard propeller. Officials said that, along with high winds, rough seas and shifting shoal sands stirred up by recent storms, may have contributed to the grounding.
