Incredible Boat Explosion in Hillsboro Beach Florida!

Wes Mitchell and the crew at the Lighthouse Point Marina were startled by a loud explosion just after 1 PM on March 5th, 2013. Just across the waterway, a crewmember on the 66' Viking Sportfisherman, Amazinn was in the engine room when his boat exploded. The starboard side of the boat was ripped wide open, salon floor panels were blasted clear to the headliner and the salon windows were shattered. Miraculously, the crewmember was rushed to the hospital and survived! 16 Minutes after the explosion occurred, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale had a boat on scene to assess the damage and assist as needed. EMS was on scene and attending to medical emergencies so the TowBoatU.S. crew got busy controlling flooding. Absorbent boom was deployed around the casualty and a diver began patching breaches in the hull below the waterline on the starboard side. Once the flooding was stabilized, plans were made by the salvage team to stand watch on the vessel overnight until all fuel could be removed from the vessel's tanks the following morning. The night watch stander completed hourly bilge checks and reported his findings to the TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale dispatcher each hour. The next morning, over 1,000 gallons of fuel was pumped into a barge and TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale towed the vessel to Merritt Boat and Engine Works in Pompano Beach, Florida where she was hauled out for inspection.

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale has the staff, experience and equipment to respond quickly and professionally to salvages large and small!