Tank Barge Successfully Refloated

A tank barge that ran aground outside the channel in Raritan Bay near Wards Point Bend successfully re-floated. Reinauer Transportation conducted lightering operations throughout the night, and with the rising tide in the morning they were able to free the grounded vessel. The barge George Morris was being towed out to sea by the tug Rowan M. McAllister carrying 50,000 barrels of Ethanol aboard when it ran aground around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Coast Guard pollution response officers and marine investigators report that the ship suffered no apparent hull breach and no oil or Ethanol has entered the water. The barge George Morris and the towing barge Rockland are being moved to Perth Amboy Anchorage to continue lightering operations. Once lightering is completed, divers will survey the hulls of the tug Rowan M. McAllister and the barge George Morris for damage. The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the grounding.