Burst pipe injures three on dredging rig off Jersey Shore
SEASIDE HEIGHTS — A burst suction pipe on board a dredging vessel injured three people on Monday afternoon.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Shannon Kearney told New Jersey 101.5 the Coast Guard responded after being alerted to the incident and that the injured crew members were being taken to local hospital to receive care.
Kearney said there was no explosion or fire. She said the Coast Guard will investigate to determine what caused the pipe to burst.
Seaside Heights police detective Stephen Korman said the beach was unaffected by the incident, and there was no evacuation.
The US Army Corp of Engineer's dredging project has been going on all summer with the goal of reducing the risk of storm damage from the Barnegat peninsula to Point Pleasant. The dredging is expected to remove 11 million cubic yards of sand from the ocean floor and pumping it onto area beaches.
The suction pipe is used to remove material from the ocean floor.
Matthew White and Ocean County Scanner News contributed to this report
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ