“We have charged the tugboat captain after it ran aground. The charges are related to potential intoxication and the navigation of the vessel.”
A tugboat ran aground off the coast of Norway on Tuesday evening after experiencing engine failure while towing a fish farming barge for Norwegian salmon farmer Måsøval.
The barge is reported to have been en route to Måsøval’s Håkaillbåen site in Smøla.
Måsøval’s Head of Communication and Public Relations, Berit Flåm, confirmed the incident in a statement to Norwegian aquaculture news site iLaks, saying, “It is our barge that was being transported to Håkaillbåen in Smøla municipality. We had contracted a company for the transportation, so we have no further information at this time.”
The tugboat, named “Waterlord,” experienced engine problems off Hoddevik near Stad at approximately 23:18 on Tuesday. The vessel and the barge drifted and eventually ran aground on a reef, according to VG.
The Norwegian Sea Rescue Society’s vessels “Idar Ulstein” and “Simrad Buholmen” were dispatched to the scene, along with a helicopter.
All five individuals on board—four on the tugboat and one on the barge—were rescued unharmed about half an hour after the grounding, according to statements made by operations leader Helge Blindheim of the Vest Police District to VG.
Breathalyzer samples were taken from the crew and one of these tested positive. A blood sample was also taken, to which the police have not yet received the results.
“We have charged the tugboat captain after it ran aground. The charges are related to potential intoxication and the navigation of the vessel,” police attorney Kjetil Linge Tomren told BT.
While the tugboat was salvaged and towed to Måløy on Wednesday morning, the barge has sunk.
