Maritime News

Four miles of the Houston Ship Channel remain closed after the 56-foot tug boat, the J.R. Nichols sank on Wednesday evening.

 
The tugboat sank around 10:30 pm on February 10 in the Houston Ship Channel near the Sims Bayou Turning Basin. Five seamen were aboard when the vessel sank. Four were rescued and treated for hypothermia. The body of the fifth crewmember was recovered on Thursday by TNT salvage company divers. His name has not been released.

 
The waterway was closed from the dock at Vopack in Galena Park to Sims Bayou, the upper stretch of the ship channel near the 610 bridge, for clean up and recovery efforts. The tug had over 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel onboard. Approximately 1,000 gallons of diesel were spilled.  

 
The cause of the sinking is under investigation. The Coast Guard plans to raise the ship as soon as weather allows.

 
Seamen who are injured while on the job are entitled to compensation under Jones Act Law if they can prove that their accident was caused by negligence.  An attorney who specializes in the Jones Act and maritime law can help. The New Orleans based maritime attorneys at The Young Firm represent injured seamen from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas and workers who have been injured in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River.