Towboat Capsizes In HSC, Crew Member Dies
About 2 p.m. on July 19, Vessel Traffic Service Houston-Galveston notified U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston of a towboat that capsized and sank in the Houston Ship Channel about a half mile east of the Lynchburg Ferry Landing.
The towboat, the mv. Miss Peggy, owned by Houston Fleeting Services, a subsidiary of Ingram Marine Group, had been traveling inbound and light boat on the eastern side of the ship channel when the outbound LPG tanker Silvio and the inbound bulk carrier Yangze 7 passed one another.
AIS data appears to depict the Miss Peggy on the starboard side of the passing Yangze 7, and some bystanders described the incident as a collision. The cause of the incident, though, remains under investigation.
A crew of five was on board the Miss Peggy at the time of the event, and a nearby tugboat-turned-Good Samaritan responded to the mariners in distress.
“We are incredibly thankful for the swift action of the Good Samaritans aboard G&H Towing’s mv. George M. that assisted and ultimately rescued four of our associates,” Ingram Marine Group said in a statement.
With one of the crew members, a deckhand named Aquarius Lowman, missing, the Coast Guard and partner agencies mounted a 32-hour search-and-rescue effort. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Houston Police Department, Port of Houston Authority, Texas Parks and Wildlife and Texas Search and Rescue all assisted with the search. Ultimately, though, Lowman’s body was recovered the evening of July 20.
“We are deeply saddened and absolutely devastated to share that Aquarius did not survive,” Ingram Marine Group President and CEO John Roberts said in an internal message that night. “It is a tragic loss that affects the entire Ingram Marine Group family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and crewmates during this very difficult time.”
“We also continue to pray for the recovery of the two associates who were injured in this tragic incident,” Roberts continued.
Ingram Marine Group has partnered with the Seamen’s Church Institute to connect team members in the Houston area with chaplains and counselors.
“Our strongest thoughts and prayers go out to the family, loved ones and all those involved in this tragic incident,” Capt. Keith Donohue, commander of Sector Houston-Galveston, said in a statement following the conclusion of the search and rescue effort. “I also thank all our port and maritime partners for the tremendous cooperation and assistance rendered over these last two days.”
The waterway was initially closed to navigation during the search and rescue operation. Traffic was then restricted during salvage operations for the mv. Miss Peggy. The towboat was raised and removed from the channel by early afternoon July 21.
“There is an active investigation into the events that led to this incident being led by the [U.S. Coast Guard] and NTSB,” Ingram Marine Group said in a statement. “Ingram is also assisting in this investigation. Obviously, we have a lot of questions based on publicly available information, but we can’t comment on an active investigation.”
The Miss Peggy is a twin-screw towboat that measures 55 by 20.4 feet. The vessel has carried the name Miss Peggy since it was sold to Tug Miss Peggy LLC in 1994. Cheryl K operated the Miss Peggy until the vessel was sold to Ingram in December 2020.
