Miki-Hana

The Coast Guard monitored the efforts of the tugboat “Miki Hana” as it successfully regained control of a barge that was lost in tow on May 19, 2010. Station Cape Disappointment received a call at approximately 6:50 p.m. from the tug stating the cable being used to tow a 330-foot barge had snapped in 20-foot seas 10 miles west of Astoria during a storm. Air Station Astoria dispatched an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter. The Coast Guard remained in close contact with the tug's crew over the next several hours. At 11:10 p.m. the tug retrieved the barge using an Orville Hook. The barge, containing approximately 700,000 pounds of construction material and 400 gallons of diesel fuel, remains offshore under the control of the tug whose crew was working to retrieve the 1700 feet of broken tow cable that is presently trailing behind the barge. A second towing vessel is assisting the transit north to a port to be determined where repairs will be made to the towing equipment.