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NEW ORLEANS - Workers Monday began pumping out the ballast tanks of the crippled freighter Bright Field - the last step in preparing to move it from the spot where it rammed the Riverwalk mall three weeks ago.
"It's all emptied out underwater, so what you see is a bunch of Coast Guardsmen standing around watching marks on the hull,'' said Patrick Cuty, on-scene coordinator for the U.S. Coast Guard.
The marks, called Plimsoll lines, indicate how many feet of hull remain underwater.
Cuty said officials expected to need up to six hours before the 735-foot ship was light enough to ease away from the Hilton Hotel and wharf it rammed on Dec. 14. Eight Coast Guard tugboats were on hand to tow the freighter to a shipyard in Violet, on the other side of the Mississippi River. The trip itself should take about 90 minutes, Petty Officer Aaron Holton said.
Monday's operation was to involve several precautions: closing the Riverwalk to onlookers, creating a "no-fly zone'' around the freighter, sending the Flamingo riverboat casino on a cruise while the Bright Field was moved, and closing the Mississippi River to all traffic.
Officials decided to move the freighter after they abandoned a plan to patch a gaping hole below the water line while the Bright Field remained at the Riverwalk. More than 1.5 million gallons of water had flooded a damaged cargo hold, turning tons of corn into mush.
The Bright Field was en route to Japan with 128 million pounds of corn when it apparently lost power and sliced into the crowded Riverwalk mall, demolishing part of the mall, the hotel and a condominium garage. No one was killed, but more than 100 people were injured.
At the same time that the pumps began working Monday, the Marine Safety Board resumed its hearing into the crash.
By The Associated Press
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