14-85-CWS | October 2, 2014
BILOXI, Miss. – A vessel owned by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources capsized Thursday afternoon in the Mississippi Sound.
Two MDMR employees were bringing oysters from Pascagoula to Biloxi on The Conservationist, a 65-foot-vessel. The vessel capsized three miles south of Graveline Bayou. Both employees were wearing life jackets and are safe.
“Our greatest concern is for the safety of our employees,” said MDMR Executive Director Jamie Miller. “We are working to recover the vessel from the water as quickly as possible, and our Marine Patrol Office is investigating the incident.”
The accident happened about 3 p.m. Thursday, and Marine Patrol officers and the Coast Guard responded.
J.E. Borries, a company in Jackson County, will place boom around the vessel Thursday night and begin recovery efforts Friday morning. Marine Patrol officers will be onsite until the vessel is recovered.
Photo credit: Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
Cutline: Marine Patrol officers with MDMR responded to an accident Thursday afternoon in which one of the agency’s vessels sank in the Mississippi Sound. The accident is under investigation.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the state by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at www.dmr.ms.gov.
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