Kirby 29703 Incident; Gulf of Mexico, Offshore
NOAA initial notification: “On Friday morning, 17 April 2009, USCG Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur reported that a barge was observed damaged and adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. The observer reported that the barge appeared to have bene sheared in half and discharging an unknown material. Later it was […]”[1]
Latest included source report
Posted 20 Apr 2009
Latest source report
“The stern section of the vessel is in tow and is expected to be brought into port at Galveston early on 20 April 2009. The bow section that sunk offshore has not yet been located, but the RP has been requested to conduct surveys to locate to ensure that there are no hazards or risks. A full report will be updated along with a final report on Monday. Charlie Henry NOAA […]” Current outcome is not independently verified by seahazards.[3]
NOAA report chronology
3 dated source records · 18 Apr 2009 to 20 Apr 2009NOAA incident record opened
Initial notification excerpt: “On Friday morning, 17 April 2009, USCG Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur reported that a barge was observed damaged and adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. The observer reported that the barge appeared to have bene sheared in half and discharging an unknown material. Later it was determined that the barge, Kirby 29703 was in two pieces, and the bow section alone had been initially observed. The stern portion of the barge was initially attached to the tug, later released, and then sunk on its own. NOAA was requested to provide trajectory support to the USCG.”
NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track
Initial incident area only. Dates are NOAA postings, not a vessel track. Playback advances every 5 seconds.
Milestone 1 of 3: 18 Apr 2009. NOAA incident record opened. NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track
NOAA incident record opened
Initial notification excerpt: “On Friday morning, 17 April 2009, USCG Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur reported that a barge was observed damaged and adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. The observer reported that the barge appeared to have bene sheared in half and discharging an unknown material. Later it was determined that the barge, Kirby 29703 was in two pieces, and the bow section alone had been initially observed. The stern portion of the barge was initially attached to the tug, later released, and then sunk on its own. NOAA was requested to provide trajectory support to the USCG.”
NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track (28.209°, -92.952°)
WX update
Source report excerpt: “SPOT FORECAST FOR BARGE...NWS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 522 AM CDT SAT APR 18 2009 IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE...CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. .DISCUSSION... MODERATE SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH TONIGHT AS A RESULT...A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING. A SLOW MOVING UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OUT TO 20 NM...BECOMING MORE SCATTERED FURTHER OUT. THE ACTUAL TIDES WILL RUN ABOUT A FOOT ABOVE PREDICTED TODAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH DURING THE DAY SUNDAY...BRINGING AN END TO THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AND SHIFTING WINDS TO THE NORTHWEST. .TODAY... SKY/WEATHER.........PARTLY […]”
Stern Section in Tow, Update, 19 Apr. PM
Source report excerpt: “The stern section of the vessel is in tow and is expected to be brought into port at Galveston early on 20 April 2009. The bow section that sunk offshore has not yet been located, but the RP has been requested to conduct surveys to locate to ensure that there are no hazards or risks. A full report will be updated along with a final report on Monday. Charlie Henry NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator”
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Details in the record
- Source record
- NOAA IncidentNews 8007[1]
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NOAAORR-8007 NOAA response record
Kirby 29703 Incident; Gulf of Mexico, Offshore. Gulf of Mexico, Offshore. 1. On Friday morning, 17 April 2009, USCG Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur reported that a barge was observed damaged and adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. The observer reported that the barge appeared to have bene sheared in half and discharging an unknown material. Later it was determined that the barge, Kirby 29703 was in two pieces, and the bow section alone had been initially observed. The stern portion of the barge was initially attached to the tug, later released, and then sunk on its own. NOAA was requested to provide trajectory support to the USCG. 2. THREAT: OTHER. 3. POSITION 28.209N 092.952W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 8007: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/8007Open record and warning history →
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