Tug Nova Columbia River sinking
At around 9:30 a.m. Monday, 2/24/20, the 38-foot Tug Western Nova was discovered sunken in the Columbia River.
During the night, the vessel broke loose from its moorings due to high winds. Those winds pushed it about ¾ mile where it sank approximately 10 miles upriver of the McNary Dam. The vessel was holding 750 gallons of diesel when it went down.
HME Construction is the owner of the tug.
Summary information
McNary pool of the Columbia River
Status updates
February 24, 2020
State and federal agencies are responding to a sunken 38-foot tugboat on the Oregon side of the Columbia River about 10 miles upriver of McNary Dam near Umatilla.
Oregon DEQ, Washington Ecology and EPA are coordinating with fish and wildlife agencies and tribal governments on the response.
Divers plugged fuel vents this afternoon and the vessel is not actively leaking. The tugboat reportedly has about 750 gallons of diesel on board and is completely submerged.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Washington Department of Ecology and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are overseeing operations and investigating to determine if any fuel has been released. Responders are deploying containment boom this afternoon and evening around the tugboat.
A crane is scheduled to arrive on site Wednesday to lift the vessel out of the water.
Responders suspect the tugboat broke loose from its mooring Sunday night due to strong winds, which pushed it about three-quarters of a mile upriver. There was no one on board when the vessel began drifting. The tugboat is called Tug Nova and is owned by HME Construction.
Media contact
Laura Gleim, Oregon DEQ, 541-633-2030, gleim.laura@deq.state.or.us
Related links
- Follow Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality on Twitter for the latest updates: @OregonDEQ
- Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates: @EcologyWA