OCEAN CITY, Md. — The Coast Guard rescued seven people Saturday from a tugboat drifting in the Atlantic ocean about 30 miles off the coast of Ocean City.
According to a news release from the Coast Guard, the tugboat got stuck in the open waters after the 1,000-foot tow line got tangled in one of the boat's propellers. The boat tried to continue one with just one engine until the tow line snapped.
The crew was towing a 290-foot barge from New Jersey to Guyana when the line snapped.
The crew then notified the Coast Guard, which dispatched a helicopter rescue crew to the area. It took longer than normal because of some dangerous weather conditions, but eventually crews hoisted up all seven people on board the tug.
The Coast Guard then put down a "self-locating data marker buoy" for watch standers to track the tug and barge while waiting for other boats to come take over.
