Bayville Man Killed When Tugboat Hits Barge Near Tappan Zee Bridge

UPDATE:

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. - Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino identified the crew member who was recovered from the water as Paul Amon, 52, of Bayville, N.J. The tugboat was reportedly pulling a crane from Albany to New Jersey.

ORIGINAL STORY:

One person was killed and two others are missing after a tugboat hit a barge part of the Tappan Zee Bridge construction project early Saturday morning. The tug that hit the barge sank within minutes.

At a press conference, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the boat was carrying 5,000 gallons of diesel, which spilled into the Hudson River. The Department of Environmental Conservation is working to contain the spill. Cuomo said officials do not expect any long term damage from the spill.

No injuries were reported to the 13 workers on the barge.

Cuomo said it was too early to speculate about what caused the collision. He added that the bridge was illuminated at the time the incident occurred. According to the United States Coast Guard, the collision occurred around 5:20 a.m. when the 90-foot tugboat struck a barge. One crew member was pulled from the water and pronounced dead soon after, the Journal News reports.

The agency is continuing its search for the two crew members still missing.

Any sightings can be reported to the Coast Guard Sector New York command center at 718-354-4353.

The tug was one of three escorting a barge with construction equipment southbound on the Hudson River, state officials said. The barge and accompanying tugs did not come down the middle of a 600-foot-wide U.S. Coast Guard designated channel, instead approaching too close to a construction barge stationed next to Pier 31, where work on the Tappan Zee bridge replacement is happening. One of those tugs, by the name of Specialist, struck the Tappan Zee barge and sunk.

Tappan Zee Constructors, the builders on the massive construction project to replace the aging, crumbling Tappan Zee Bridge carrying the New York State Thruway between Nyack and Tarrytown, had a crew of 21 workers on their barge at the time; none were injured when the tugboat struck.

After striking the barge, the tugboat began leaking up to 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel, creating a fuel slick approximately 100 yards wide and 5 miles long.

Local law enforcement deployed a fuel-containing apparatus to the water due to a visible sheen. Westchester County has initiated a cleanup agreement with a private party, Miller Environmental Group, to manage the diesel spill. Personnel from the State Department of Environment Conservation's Oil Spill Team are on the scene to monitor and support the cleanup with two DEC vessels – a 31 foot with a crew of three and a 44 foot with a crew of three.

James Mercante, a lawyer for the Specialist, told theAssociated Press the crew was licensed, competent and experienced. Mercante called the incident a "shocking, horrific marine tragedy."

According to the Rockland Fires Facebook page, emergency responders included marine units and divers from departments including Nyack, Piermont, Thiells, Tarrytown and the NYPD.

PHOTO: NY Thruway Authority webcam

Editor's Note: Neither the tugboat that sank nor the barge it was escorting were carrying workers on the New NY Bridge project. The barge with which the tug collided was. Information was incorrect or unclear in the original version of this report. The social media post embedded here is the Rockland Fires Facebook page. It was mis-attributed and Patch regrets the error.