Portsmouth, Va.- After a buoy sank Thursday afternoon, the Coast Guard restricted transit on the Thimble Shoals Channel from buoys 1 and 2, and Anchorage C, west of Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.
The Virginia Beach Police Department is using side-scan sonar to help locate the 26-foot-tall buoy. A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City and North Carolina are also helping in the search.
The Army Corps of Engineers, Virginia Pilots Association, Virginia Port Authority are a few other organizations involved in getting the channel back open.
At this time, only vessels with a 20-foot draft or less are allowed to go through the channel.
