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A barge that broke free from its tow in Virginia Beach, Va., did not leak any of its hazardous chemical cargo during the incident, officials said.
U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Mike Hvozda said a crew of the Coast Guard's Atlantic Strike Team confirmed all of the chemicals were safe on board the vessel in the wake of last week's incident, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot said Sunday.
The strike team's search of the vessel Saturday came after the barge ran aground on a beach, stopping its gradual progression toward a local fishing pier.
"It's just a relief that it hit a nice, soft, sandy beach," Lt. Jack Smith, a Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads spokesman, said. "It could have been much worse, obviously."
Smith said the barge named the La Princesa ended up within at least 75 yards of the pier following its runaway antics last Friday. The barge was carrying nearly 30 types of chemicals at the time.
Smith told the Virginian-Pilot in a successful attempt to slow down the runaway vessel, Coast Guard workers filled the barge's tanks with water.
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