A barge laden with a black substance was seen listing dramatically off the coast of Lime Kiln Point this week. Local captain and naturalist Tom Averna, the owner of Deer Harbor Charters, took a photo and reported the event to the Journal querying whether the cargo might be coal. We investigated the incident with local law enforcement and the Coast Guard.

“The US Coast Guard called and told us not to worry about it,” replied sheriff Ron Krebs. “My understanding is, it’s a Canadian barge, a Canadian company, and they’re doing their best to keep it in Canadian waters.” Krebs said the barge is apparently not sinking, just listing.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Amanda Norcross told the Journal that the barge was towed out of island waters by a Canadian tugboat, with no Coast Guard involvement. She said the Coast Guard only gets involved in situations in the case of emergency, defined as lives in danger; or if at-risk cargo is either toxic or dangerous. No other information on the incident was made available at this time.

Watch for updates at sanjuanjournal.com.