Coast Guard responds to fuel spill after tug boat crash

NAGS HEAD, NC (AP) — The Coast Guard says it’s responding to a diesel spill after a tugboat collided with an old bridge on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

The Coast Guard said in a news release Monday that the fuel is coming from the semi-submerged tug. It had struck the Old Bonner Bridge in Oregon Inlet. The replacement for the aging Bonner Bridge opened earlier this year.

The Coast Guard said about 3,000 gallons were onboard the tug at the time of the collision. The tugboat’s owners are now in the process of cleaning up the spill. There are also plans to conduct salvage operations for the boat.

Coast Guard personnel from Sector North Carolina are working to quickly contain a discharge of diesel from a semi-submerged tugboat, along with the responsible party, in Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.

Read the full release here: https://t.co/t0JHPrsITz pic.twitter.com/JKfEGb2THu

— USCG Mid-Atlantic (@uscgmidatlantic) November 18, 2019

The Coast Guard said there have been no reports of impacts to wildlife so far. The channel is open to all vessel traffic.