A barge carrying approximately 400 tons of stone to a project in the area ran aground off Hampton Bays and two local excavating companies responded to help.
Keith Grimes Inc., which has offices in Montauk and Bridgehampton, said they responded Saturday with , a Southampton business, and unloaded the barge, which beached a few days ago off East Landing Road, on the Great Peconic Bay.
Costello Marine, a Greenport-based marine company, had been trying to unload the barge from the water-side, but needed the extra assistance. The two companies' excavators arrived Saturday and removed the load stone by stone. The work was completed around 7 p.m.
"We went to help a friend out," said Susan Grimes, a Montauk resident and the vice president of Keith Grimes, Inc. "They thought they could float out it tonight, but it was too windy," she said. Their sons Peter Grimes and David Grimes were also on scene Saturday night, along with a small crew.
Crews are going to wait until morning, and high tide, to try to free it. Excavators will dig around it, while a Costello Marine tugboat will attempt to pull the barge into deeper waters.
The barge was reportedly on its way to a Costello Marine project in the area.
