Coast Guard crews locate body of missing tug crewman

U.S. Coast Guard PADET Texas
Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Kendrick

Date: 04.19.2016
Posted: 04.19.2016 17:07
News ID: 195845
Coast Guard, Harris County Sheriff search for missing tugboat crewman

HOUSTON — A Coast Guard helicopter crew located the body of the missing tug boat crewman from the capsized Ricky J Leboeuf near the location of the tug on the San Jacinto river Tuesday at 9:47 a.m.

The Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew located the man's body and directed rescue boats to his location, which was a few hundred feet downstream. They recovered the unresponsive man's body and transported him to EMS.

Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service Houston restricted waterway traffic on the San Jacinto at 8:42 a.m. Traffic is prohibited between the red #2 light and the I-10 bridge. Vessels may be allowed to transit the area on a case-by-case basis.

Coast Guard pollution response teams are on scene to evaluate any potential environmental impacts and coordinate with a salvage team that was contracted to recover the tug.

The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the accident.