NAHANT (WBZ-AM) -- On Sunday night, a 40-by-80-foot barge broke loose and capsized, possibly sinking, a few miles southeast of Nahant--and now the Coast Guard is warning mariners to be cautious and avoid the north and south Boston main shipping channels until it is found.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Andrew Barresi told WBZ NewsRadio the barge was carrying construction equipment, including an excavator and crane. They don't know where it is, and are concerned that, if it did sink with that equipment in the water, other vessels in the area could be vulnerable to hitting something.
"The concern here is that its close to the main shipping channel where larger container ships would normally come in and out, so we want to ensure 100 percent where this barge is before we start allowing those deep-draft vessels to come in and out," Barresi said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens (@carlwbz) reports