In route to Shell Island, a brother and sister became stranded due to mechanical issues with their Mako boat.

Drifting out to sea for more than two hours, the siblings were unable to attract any passersby, until the crew of the MV Austin Golding appeared.

The towboat, owned and operated by the Golding Barge Line, saw the stranded boaters and came to their rescue.

It is because of this act by the locally owned company, the Chamber of Shipping of America honored Golding Barge Line, on June 5 during their annual safety awards luncheon in New Orleans.

“This honor validates all the hard work from our crews,” Port Captain Todd Hundley said.

“Our guys are well trained to respond to something like this,” Hundley said, due in part to the monthly drills performed by company employees.

The MV Austin Golding, which was piloted by Sean Romero, was pushing a pair of Golding Barge Line’s tank barges headed for Panama City.

When seeing the stranded boaters, a tankermen from the MV Austin Golding offered the siblings some water and told them they would return as soon as they dropped of their barges.

In the weekly publication of the Waterways Journal, reporter Frank McCormack, said, “true to that tankerman’s word, the MV Austin Golding returned within the hour, tied the sibling’s boat off to the tow boat and towed them toward the marina.”

Part of the community

Hundley said they really try to be part of the Panama City Community since there is not a lot of towboat traffic in the area.

“It felt good that we were able to help out,” Hundley said, adding, “The Golding Barge Line hauls a lot of gas and diesel to Panama City.”

More than 200 people representing 74 companies attended the CSA awards luncheon and of the 16 vessels and crew honored during the event, the mv. Austin Golding was the only inland towboat recognized.

The Safety Achievement Award program honors “outstanding feats of safety” related to saving lives.