Barge Sinks, Oily Substance Seen

If you were following the Gothamist Newsmap yesterday, you would have noticed there were alerts about part of a barge at Pier 97 sinking and that some oil or fuel seemed to be leaking from it. The NY Times reports:

The barge, which had been cut into two sections, had been salvaged by a private company and towed to Pier 97 near West 57th Street, which is leased by the city’s Department of Sanitation for garbage trucks, street salt and trailer offices.

A slight sheen of an unknown substance was released from the barge, said Patrick Wycko, a petty officer with the United States Coast Guard.

A plastic boom was placed around the vessel as a precaution, he said.

And WNBC says the barge was carrying supplies used to help get the Intrepid out of the mud! The Coast Guard is investigating and the company that owns the barge had no comment.