The tug Red Hook responded to a distress call on February 10 from a ship adrift on the Delaware River. The M/V Baltic Summer, a 515-foot-long refrigerated cargo ship, had apparently lost all power and steering and was in danger of “t-boning” an articulated tug and barge (AT/B) skipjack unit at a nearby anchorage. The Red Hook, heading outbound on the Schuylkill River, responded without delay. 

“At the moment, the only thing I thought was to get there as quickly and safely as possible,” says Mate Kevin Marshall, who was at the tug’s helm when the incident occurred. “The AT/B unit was aware and at the time heaving anchor. When we got alongside, the ship was about 100 feet or less away from the AT/B unit.”

Intercepting the Baltic Summer at the bow, the Red Hook pushed the ship back into the channel and stayed with it while moving safely toward Eagle Point, New Jersey. “Other tugs arrived on the scene 20 minutes after the actions were done,” says Marshall, noting that the entire event began at 1 p.m. and lasted approximately 80 minutes. 

As the episode unfolded, Marshall was joined in the wheelhouse by Captain James Ward and Engineer Hunter Parks. On deck was AB Deckhand Joseph Carmichael.  

“I’m just happy we could help,” says Marshall. “As fate had it, we were in the right spot at the right time.” 

The Red Hook’s role in aiding the powerless ship earned the crew an American Waterways Operators (AWO) HERO Award. HERO stands for “Honor and Excellence in Rescue Operations.” Vane Brothers Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) Manager John Shkor accepted the award on the crew’s behalf during an AWO Interregion and Coastal Safety Committee meeting February 22 in New Orleans.