On November 4, 2018, at 0840, the hopper barge PTC 598 sank about 6 miles off Cape St. George, Florida, with a cargo of scrap metal. The barge was being towed by the towing vessel Kaitlin Olivia along with another barge, PTC 625, en route from Tampa, Florida, to Mobile, Alabama. No pollution or injuries to the four crewmembers aboard the tugboat were reported. Damage was estimated to be $750,000.
The probable cause of the sinking of barge PTC 598 was flooding of the barge’s voids through improperly secured manhole covers due to the charterer’s failure to ensure adherence to its procedures for barge watertight integrity and draft limits.
