BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Two uninjured after...

BRIEFLY IN

THE NEWS

Two uninjured after harbor barge sinks

Two workers escaped without injuries Friday afternoon after the

40-foot barge they were using to lift weights off the moorings in the

bay sank, Orange County Harbor Patrol officials said.

Ignacio Bera, 37, and Joseph Murman, 41, were working in the J

mooring area in the west end of Newport Harbor at about 2:30 p.m.

when the barge sank, Sgt. John Whitman said. It was unable to take

the heaviness of the weights that the workers were pulling up from

the bottom of the bay, he said.

The barge sank and spilled about 30 gallons of diesel fuel into

the bay, but that was contained using absorbent pads that soaked up

the fuel, he said. Harbor Patrol deputies responded to the call in

two fire boats and found the men uninjured on a nearby dock, Whitman

said.

“They were really lucky,” he said. “We were also fortunate to get

there in time to contain the fuel spill.”

The barge was moved to a shipyard later on Friday, Whitman said.

“Owners of moorings are required to do this maintenance work twice

a year,” he said. “Occasionally, things like this can happen.”