AMERICAN JAZZ
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Salvage attempt successful
On July 17 at 3.30 p.m. the 'American Jazz' was refloated. The Coast Guard had draubed the fuel from the tanks to make the vessel lighter. A tug and a barge with wires were connected on July 16, and after 2,5 hours the ship could finally be freed.
Donjon-Smit to salvage grounded riverboat
Officials were still working to determine how to get the grounded 'American Jazz' refloated. The US Coast Guard issued a statement in the night of July 10, saying the Lake Barkley Grounding Unified Command continued to coordinate to identify the safest and least intrusive salvage plan. They reminded everyone about a 3-mile safety zone that has been put in place between river mile markers 61 and 64, on either side of the US-68 Cumberland River Bridge. The partnerships with local and state agencies has led to successful response so far, ensuring safety for everyone. The American Cruise Lines have been involved in the salvage plan for the ship and has also contracted with Donjon-SMIT in this regard. All mechanical systems aboard were fully operational and there was no apparent damage to the vessel. There have been no safety concerns, no injuries and no pollution or environmental issues. The cause of the incident remained under investigation and presently, the 'American Jazz' continued to rest on the soft muddy lake bottom. Eight of the 49 crew members were transferred off the ship with passengers in the evening of July 9, leaving 41 on board. The unified command is comprised of the U.S. Coast Guard, Trigg County Emergency Management, state of Kentucky authorities, and American Cruise Lines.
120 passengers safely disembarked from cruise ship
The 'American Jazz', en route from Memphis to Nashville, ran aground in position 36 48 42N, 87 58 18W, about 35 nautical miles from Paducah on July 7, 2021, at 11 p.m. in Lake Barkley. There was no damage to the riverboat. The vessel was on a seven-night 'Music Cities Cruise'. A shallow water response boat crew headed out with marine investigators and went on board to assess the situation. The Coast Guard was working with American Cruise Lines to establish a salvage plan to refloat the vessel. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Commercial tugs were called, and divers were deployed to inspect the hull for seaworthiness. A Unified Command was established which disembarked all passengers from the cruise vessel on July 9. All 120 passengers were transferred safely to shore, along with six crew members. 48 crew members remained aboard. No medical concerns were reported. The Coast Guard worked with local government and industry partners in the operation. It remained on scene until the vessel has been safely refloated. The salvage effort was taking longer than expected. Two tugs were working to refloat the ship which was stuck in four to six feet deep water. It apparently had veered out of the marked channel of the lake. Reports with photo and video: https://www.newschannel5.com/news/grounded-riverboat-might-be-stuck-longer-than-expected-passengers-to-disembark-friday https://www.wbrz.com/news/coast-guard-disembarks-passengers-from-aground-cruise-ship
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