Towboat sinks at Port of Brownsville

Approximately 2,000 gallons of diesel was spilled at the Port of Brownsville Saturday when a Signet towboat sank.

The sunken towboat was raised using an AmFELS crane and almost all the diesel fuel was contained and recovered, U.S. Coast Guard marine casualty investigator Troy Rentz said.

"They contained it. They immediately put a boom around it," Deputy Port Director Donna Eymard said. "There was no contamination."

Initially, no injuries were reported, but subsequently there were reports of three crewmen who had possibly sustained minor injuries.

The towboat succumbed to the strength of water-surge propelled from six passing towboats moving a rig at the Keppel AmFELS shipyard.

Rentz said Thursday that he has not concluded his investigation into the incident, which occurred at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Three men were on the towboat, but they were able to climb aboard a boat.

"They all got off safely," Rentz said.