Crane Barge Capsizes, One Man Missing

The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies are conducting the search for a 25-year-old Emanuel Gatling in the Christina River near the Port of Wilmington after a crane barge capsized Tuesday night, reported the CBS.

According to the Coast Guard, an employee from Norfolk Dredging Company contacted Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Command Center watchstanders around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday to report Gatling missing in the water.

The employee reported three crewmembers fell into the water after a crane barge that was attached to the dredge Essex capsized. The two men resurfaced from the water while Gatling remains missing.

Accident happened during routine operation, said Charlie Meyers of the Army Corps of Engineers. The men were moving anchors in the Wilmington Harbor Channel in order to reposition the barge – when it capsized.

Dive operation were suspended due to nightfall and continued at daybreak.

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Dredging Today Staff