Two Crew Members Escape Sinking Tugboat in Portsmouth N.H. Accident (VIDEO)

Posted in Barge Accidents,New Hampshire Maritime News,Tug Boat Accidents on November 5, 2012

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Two crew members were lucky to escape from a sinking tugboat on Wednesday, Oct. 24, when it became pinned against a barge at the Memorial Bridge construction site and capsized. A video of the accident shows the 55-foot boat pinned up against a structure at the Memorial Bridge construction site. A crew member can be seen leaping from the overturned cabin of the ship.

The accident occurred at about 11:45 a.m. when the Benjamin Bailey, a 1,200-horsepower tugboat, began to sink. The tugboat was working under contract with Archer Western Contractors, the company running the Memorial Bridge project.

The tugboat is owned by Riverside and Pickering Marine Contractors in Eliot, Maine, and was staffed by local crew members who have knowledge of the area, according to Archer Western spokeswoman Carol Morris.

Posted by tugboat injury lawyer Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP