Wind snapped lines tying down barge that hit barrier at Seattle’s Waterfront, says company owner

SEATTLE — An unattended barge crashed into a barrier, near Pier 66, at Seattle’s Waterfront Thursday.

We were able to confirm the owner of the barge that drifted across Elliot Bay and hit a barrier at Seattle’s Waterfront, and the company responsible for tying down the barge.

But thanks to King County Metro Water Taxi Captain Dan Krehbeil and his quick thinking, he and his crew were able to divert the barge, slowing it down before the collision, a spokesperson for King County Metro told us.

COMPANY THAT OWNS BARGE:

We were able to confirm the company that owns the barge is Alaska Marine Lines on Friday.

We requested an interview with the company and asked for details about the barge.

A spokesperson for the company declined an interview but shared a statement below with us.

“On Thursday afternoon the Pacific Trader barge came loose from its mooring on Harbor Island. High winds pushed it across Elliott Bay and it made contact with Pier 66. Tugs were quickly able to retrieve the barge and it is safely secured. The barge was loaded with empty containers. No injuries were reported, and it is expected only minor damage occurred.”

COMPANY RESPONSIBLE FOR TYING DOWN BARGE:

We were also able to confirm Western Towboat Company, located in Seattle, was responsible for tying down the barge.

Russ Shrewsbury, an owner, told us off-camera that his company works with Alaska Marine Lines.

He said his crews used six lines to tie down the barge, each line about 3.5 inches wide, however, the strong winds snapped them.

He said the barge arrived at Pier 18 of Harbor Island from the Arctic Slope on Tuesday, October 24.

He shared that many private barges are not able to move in and out of the bay efficiently due to the gillnets in the area, creating delays for a number of businesses.

We also spoke with Doug Myers, who is now retired and a former captain with Western Towboat, who has about 33 years of experience.

He said many crews are very cautious when tying down barges, and Thursday’s incident is not common.

“Most of the time, 99.99 percent of the time, we tie it really well. We go and double-check it. We put a lot of lines on it,” he said. “Tugboaters are just horrified at that happening (Thursday’s incident).”

Myers added that the strong winds along with the tide levels can significantly impact the lines that are tied between the barge/boat and the pilings on the dock.

“The shifting back and forth will create havoc.” He said. “When the tide is the same height as the line, it (line) sort of looses. That can cause a problem too. High tide is another problem too. So those pilings may not be real tall. So if it’s a high tide, it could pop off.”

Myers said the empty containers also played a factor in the barge drifting across the bay.

“If you think about a sailboat, in context of a sailboat, that’s five stories high with containers, and X amount from the water up to the containers that are sitting so that’s a lot of windage,” he said.

We asked Myers about Captain Krehbiel’s and his crew’s efforts to divert the barge.

“Not just your average guy can do that,” he shared.

Myers stressed Krehbiel did not have the appropriate tugboat to slow down the barge, but used a water taxi instead, which highlights his knowledge and experience as a captain, Myers said.

He added that Myers risked his life to divert the barge.

“Very dangerous. Just one wrong move and he can sink in his boat. Crack the hall and take on water,” he said.

King County Metro released a statement on Captain Dan Krehbiel and his crew.

“We’re so proud of Metro Water Taxi Capt. Dan Krehbiel and crew for their quick actions in steering the huge barge away from the heart of the busy Seattle waterfront after they discovered it adrift yesterday,” said Metro General Manager Michelle Allison. “We’re very proud of our captain and crew. They recognized the danger this loose barge represented and then took quick action to protect people and the busy Seattle waterfront.”

King County Metro is scheduling a press conference on Saturday, November 4, at 11 a.m. at Pier 48 on Alaskan Way South.

Water Taxi Captain Krehbiel is scheduled to talk about the incident.

We will cover the event and keep you updated online and on-air.

We reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard in Seattle to get more details. We’re still waiting to hear back.

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