The Gladys Ford tugboat, owned by Choctaw Transportation Co., is attended to by Marion Environmental Inc. on the Tennessee River in Marion County late Friday. The blue tanker truck is backed up to the bow of the tugboat at the Serodino boatyard just downriver from the Haletown Marina.A tugboat’s hull was breached when it ran aground late Thursday night, dumping between 20 and 30 gallons of diesel fuel into the Tennessee River in Marion County, Tenn.
The spill happened when the pilot of the Gladys Ford, a tugboat operated by Choctaw Transportation out of Dyersburg, Tenn., made a left-hand turn going through the Tennessee River Gorge that pushed the boat against the riverbank. The collision pierced the hull of the boat, resulting in the fuel leak, according to officials with the United States Coast Guard. The coast guard responded to the scene and is spearheading the cleanup.
“The spill was minimal, and while it did have the potential to be a big spill, there are no signs of it affecting the riverway,” said Petty Officer Kaiser Hamelin of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Steve Lamb, director of the Marion County Emergency Management Agency, said the vessel was still in the water late Friday while it awaited transport to a dry dock for repairs. He said the Coast Guard had the spill contained.
“We’ve made notifications to the city of South Pittsburg water system as a standard procedure, but it’s almost impossible that anyone’s water will be affected,” Lamb said.