BAHAMAS – A Jacksonville-based shipping and logistics company is dealing with a serious security incident after about 50 looters targeted its barge Brooklyn Bridge near the Bahamas on Nov. 13. The barge is positioned approximately three miles off the Bahamian coast.
The Trailer Bridge company said it quickly notified the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy. Although Bahamian police sent a unit to the scene, they chose not to confront the looters due to fears of potential violence, according to the company’s press release.
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“This is a rapidly unfolding incident and as of our last report, our barge was actively being robbed,” Mitch Luciano, CEO of Trailer Bridge, said. “Our top priority is the safety of our personnel. We have alerted local Bahamian police as well as the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy. Again, the situation is evolving quickly and our priority is the safety of our people and our cargo. We will have further updates once the barge is secure.”
This event follows a mechanical failure on Nov. 11 involving the Southern Dawn tug. Severe winds caused a tow wire to break, grounding the tug near the Bahamas while en route to Puerto Rico. The barge was waiting to be towed back onto its route when the theft began.
Trailer Bridge, Inc., headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, is an asset-based transportation company. It operates two roll-on, roll-off vessels and two load-on, load-off vessels between Jacksonville and San Juan, Puerto Rico.