A 416-foot barge loaded with 14,000 tons of a substance used in construction remains hard aground on rocks about a mile south of the St. Johns River entrance after being stuck there on March 22 on purpose to keep it afloat.

The 7,025-ton barge Bridgeport, owned by Moran Towing of Connecticut, began taking on water after grazing the Mayport jetties in bad weather.

While the damage is limited to part of its outer hull, it is leaking on one side, Dann Ocean Towing Co. spokesman Andy Legge said. The Tampa-based company is working to refloat the barge and let air out of its left side to purposely ground it on offshore rocks. That will keep it from drifting or sinking in the busy St. Johns River shipping channel, Legge said.

"We are setting sea anchors on it to moor it in place," he said. "We have a dredge with bucket on it coming in and we will start lightering [unloading] the barge this weekend to other hopper barges to get some of the product off so we can refloat it."

The barge, built in 1986 by Bollinger Marine Fabricators in Louisiana, is carrying a cargo of Agremax, a mixture of coal ash and other items used to make concrete and road surfacing. Legge said it is not hazardous and is tested as it is loaded on barges. 

The Coast Guard responded to the barge the morning after it was grounded, with divers and others inspecting the damage to its outer hull as the inside remains intact, Legge said. 

"That does cause water to get into those voids and spaces," he said. "That is causing the list you can see on it if you go to the beach."

The Coast Guard said there is no leakage as it set up a 500-yard safety zone around the barge, asking local boaters to stay away from it. But strong winds Friday caused waves to break over the listing barge, as seen in a video shot by the 911 Surf Report. 

Depending on the weather, Dann Ocean Towing plans to get the barge, visible from Hanna Park, refloated by the middle or end of next week so it can be towed to safe harbor.