Boat 'Rescued' Near Dundalk Marine Terminal

A Baltimore City police dispatcher received an emergency call in the early hours of Tuesday morning from a small, personal motor boat near the Dundalk Marine Terminal that was stranded after running out of gas.

A Baltimore City police watercraft assisted in lighting up the area, and a Baltimore City Fire Department rescue boat towed the boat to more shallow water shortly after 1:50 a.m., according to Chief Kevin Cartwright, a Baltimore City Fire Department spokesman.

The stranded boat was then turned over to TowBoatU.S., a local marine recovery company.

Dale Plummer, owner of the local TowBoatU.S. franchise, which recently combined its Baltimore and Middle River operations, pulled the boat, which he described as a 23-foot Baja powerboat, back to its Canton marina.

Plummer said the owner of the stranded boat was a former TowBoatU.S. member, who balked at paying the non-member, after midnight, $300-an-hour rate for towing services.

“We’re like AAA on the water,” said Plummer, whose company typically stations boats at various points around the Bay on weekends, including the Anchor Bay Marina in Dundalk. Plummer said the TowBoatU.S. base membership rate is $149.

“He didn’t like the price I quoted him over the phone and called 911. When the fire department realized it wasn’t an emergency—he wasn’t in a shipping lane or in any danger—they wouldn’t bring him in,” Plummer said. “It was a waste of taxpayer money.”