MILWAUKEE— Multiple agencies are working to maintain a tow boat that is sinking in the Port of Milwaukee.
The U.S. Coast Guard said tow boat MICHIGAN started to sink in the Port of Milwaukee on Monday this week. The Coast Guard said watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan were notified by the National Response Center that the tow boat sank in 26 feet of water.
Crews from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Port Milwaukee, and The U.S. Coast Guard have been working diligently to offload water from the vessel in hopes the ship will become buoyant again on its own.
The Coast Guard said the boat is carrying fuel on board with a maximum potential of 40,000 gallons of oil and fuel. As of Wednesday, the Coast Guard said there is no pollution from the boat and they have deployed safety measures for containment.
“It has deployed boom, it deployed absorbent to make sure that if there is some pollution it is being contained,” Coast Guard LTJG Phillip Gurtler said. "That has been in the forefront of our minds as we have been de-watering and conducting salvage."
The next steps are to continue offloading water and then send a dive team down to check for damage to the boat. Once the team surveys the damage, they will have a better idea on how long it might take to repair.
