Passengers were on board the Starfish when it began taking on water near the Townsend Inlet Bridge, according to the US Coast Guard.
“The starfish reportedly merged with the Townsends Inlet Bridge and suffered a breach in the starboard hull, causing several compartments to flood,” officials said.
Nearby Good Samaritans helped rescue the passengers by taking them to a nearby wharf.
No one was hurt, but the owners of the boat say it will be out of service for a while.
GREAT JOB by good SAM who helped lift 22 passengers off the STARFISH charter boat after the boat started taking on water near the Townsend Inlet Bridge, NJ. GS delivered people to the docks in Sea Isle City. There are no reports of injury or contamination. Dehydration of commercial salvage at the scene. pic.twitter.com/qYmWgEVCQO
— US Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic (@uscgmidatlantic) July 12, 2022
Authorities said no fuel tank damage or contamination was reported.
The Starfish released the following statement about the incident:
“Thank you for the kind messages, calls and comments we have received regarding the incident this afternoon. We hope, however, that the ship is damaged and will be out of service for some time. All passengers, assistant and captain are fine. we have upcoming trips planned, we will be in touch with each other, please give us time to do so. We’ll be back!”
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