A cargo barge got loose Thursday and was stopped from hitting land near the Seattle Great Wheel and Aquarium by a quick-thinking sea taxi captain.

The barge drifted away from a terminal in Seattle’s Elliott Bay at about 1 p.m. and was noticed by the crew of the MV Doc Maynard, a ferry operated by King County Metro.

As the barge moved toward the Seattle Great Wheel, a 175-foot tall Ferris wheel, and the Seattle Aquarium, Doc Maynard Capt. Dan Krehbiel saw that the big vessel didn’t have a tugboat, so he steered his water taxi to intercept it.

Mr. Krehbiel was “able to use the Doc Maynard’s bow to push and direct the barge north, where it eventually landed in the vicinity of Pier 66. Tugs arrived to pin the ship to the terminal until the barge owner could arrange transport,” transit spokesman Al Sanders told the West Seattle Blog news site.

Three tug boats were able to control the loose barge, which was moved to another pier at the port. The Doc Maynard was undamaged.

No injuries or water pollution were reported, the U.S. Coast Guard wrote on X, but the pier struck by the barge was damaged. The authorities didn’t name the owner and operator of the loose vessel.

Witnesses said the barge got loose due to intense wind.

“We saw this barge coming in and it just kept coming closer and closer. … It just smashed into the dock,” witness Jack Miller told KIRO-FM.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.