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Operator of barge that hit Sunshine Bridge has a history

Posted at 2:16 PM, Oct 14, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-14 15:16:20-04

The operator of a crane barge that slammed into the Sunshine Bridge at Donaldsonville early Friday, shuttering the critical span, has a history of marine accidents in Louisiana, including ramming a tugboat into the Mardi Gras World warehouse and workshop while New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell celebrated her inauguration last May, our media partners at The Advocate report.

Operators for Marquette Transportation hit the Sunshine Bridge on Friday with a crane being maneuvered by the towboat Kristine Alexis, according to U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Commander Raymond Wagner. In May, the Steve Richoux towboat pushing six concrete-laden barges upriver lost control and hit a wharf just outside Mardi Gras World’s “float den.” The crash collapsed a walkway and caused part of a warehouse to sag near the water, the newspaper reports.

To read the Advocate’s investigation into the company’s history, click here.