Abandoned tugs sink on Schuylkill, spilling oil

Two abandoned tug boats remained at the bottom of the Schuylkill River this morning after spilling an undetermined amount of bilge and waste oil into the waters.

The derelict vessels sank yesterday near the Girard Point Bridge in South Philadelphia.

The tugs had been tied to a pier for about three years, said Crystalynn Kneen, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Coast Guard.

"We do not know who owns them," Kneen said.

The name of one of the boats, the Carol Wales, can be seen emblazoned along its rusted hull. No vessels of that name are included in commonly used registry database.

The name of the second tug is not known.

Kneen would not speculate on how two tugs happened to sink at the same time.

The Coast Guard is working with state and local environmental agencies to clean up the oily mess, Kneen said. There has been no reported impact to wildlife.

An investigation is continuing.