ANACORTES, Wash. (AP) — The Coast Guard says a barge carrying an estimated 9,000 pounds of munitions has floated free of Belle Rock, near Anacortes, Wash., where it earlier ran aground.
Chief Petty Officer Robert Lanier said the 322-foot barge St. Elias ran aground early Monday morning in Rosario Strait about five miles southwest of Anacortes while it was being towed. At mid-afternoon, it floated free. Lanier says his agency and the Washington Ecology Department are working with tug boats to get the barge to a location where divers can further assess its condition.
Lanier says the munitions were bound for a Navy ammunition depot at Indian Island. The munitions appear to be stable and safe.
The Coast Guard has found no evidence of any oil spill or other pollution.
