Crews trying to keep barge in Port of Long Beach from sinking
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Crews are working to stop a maintenance barge for the Catalina Express ferry from sinking off Long Beach.
The 110-foot by 30-foot barge, which serves as a work float and fuel feeder for Catalina Express, began taking in water about 11 p.m. Wednesday at the Port of Long Beach, said Jake Heflin, a spokesman for the Long Beach Fire Department.
The sinking barge was first reported by a security guard who spotted it listing to one side near the Catalina Express landing.
Aided by Los Angeles firefighters and the U.S Coast Guard, Long Beach fire crews worked overnight to remove water from the sinking barge.
Divers with Catalina Express planned to go underwater Thursday to determine why the barge began sinking, Heflin said.
The barge was attached to a 20,000-gallon underwater fuel tank, but Heflin said no fuel had been released into the water.
For breaking news in Los Angeles and throughout California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA. She can be reached at [email protected].
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