Crews still working to lift crane from Hilton Head waters after it tipped off barge
The U.S. Coast Guard said no signs of pollution were found after a crane toppled from a barge and into the intracoastal waterway near the Hilton Head Island bridges on Monday.
Authorities were still working to get the crane upright as of 11 a.m. Tuesday after receiving the report of the fallen crane around 5 p.m. Monday, according to USCG Petty Officer Morgan Hollaway. No injuries or water rescues were reported as a result of the incident.
Photos taken from the scene Tuesday morning showed the arm of the crane still partially submerged in the Mackay Creek while the base sat on its side on the floating barge. Hollaway said USCG personnel were “monitoring the operation of the crane getting lifted out.”
Concerned about potential water pollution from the fallen crane, the USCG’s marine environmental response team responded to the scene on Monday, officials previously said. Hollaway said no “discharge” was found in the incident’s aftermath.
Who’s responsible for the barge and crane?
As of Tuesday morning, it remained unclear who was responsible for the barge and crane or what type of project brought the vessel into the Mackay Creek.
Asked if the barge was related to the upcoming U.S. Highway 278 bridge replacement project — whose preparations brought a crane-loaded barge to the waters off Hilton Head earlier this year — a spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Transportation said Monday night the agency “(had) not been informed of any incident involving SCDOT personnel or an SCDOT project.”
Kelly Spinella, a spokesperson for the Town of Hilton Head Island, confirmed to The Packet Tuesday morning that the barge was not related to any project within the town.
Representatives from the Bluffton Township Fire District did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday morning. A message left for a construction company whose vehicle was seen parked near the waterway was not immediately returned.
This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 11:47 AM.
