PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia says it has hired a new tugboat operator for a sludge-hauling contract following a fatal collision between a barge and an amphibious tour boat on the Delaware River.
Mayor Michael Nutter's spokesman Doug Oliver says McAllister Towing & Transportation Co. will provide service on a month-to-month basis. He says K-Sea Transportation agreed to suspend its contract pending findings of a National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
K-Sea Transportation hasn't returned calls placed Monday seeking comment.
The city says it's ordering the Gloucester City, N.J.-based McAllister Towing to post lookouts on barges. K-Sea Transportation hasn't said whether there was a lookout on July 7 when a barge struck a duck boat with 37 people aboard. The duck boat capsized and sank, and two Hungarian tourists died.
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Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.philly.com
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