M/V Richard L. Becker Supports Cleanup off the Coast of Miami

In early August, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale's 96' OSV Richard L. Becker was chartered to assist with a cleanup operation off the coast of South Miami in the waters near Biscayne National park. Several months earlier, a commercial fishing boat that had fallen into a state of disrepair sank in this location. The recent operation was a supplement to the initial salvage in order to remove the remaining debris that was lying on the sea floor. A local commercial diving contractor came to TowBoatU.S. looking for a vessel that could support their operation. The Richard L. Becker was a natural choice as it allowed the contractor to load a 30 yard roll off trash dumpster on board. The boats 7.5 ton knuckle boom deck crane was a very valuable tool for this job. Large pieces were rigged by divers and lifted from the sea floor and transferred directly into the dumpster on deck. Smaller bits of debris were loaded by divers in cargo nets, bundled and rigged for removal using the crane by the deck crew on the Richard L. Becker. The operation took several days and included trips back to the vessel's home dock in Dania Beach to drop full dumpsters and pick up empty ones.

Most nights were spent in a 3 point moor over the sight of the debris field where divers enjoyed hot meals and comfortable accommodations. After several days the area was free of debris and recreational divers were welcomed back to enjoy the surrounding reef.

Please contact TowBoatU.S. for more information about their charter services. The company has been providing solutions to the toughest marine problems since 1989.