The Coast Guard says a barge is safe to move after emergency repairs fixed a leak that caused it to list to one side and drop several crushed cars into Tacoma's Commencement Bay.

But state Ecology Department spokeswoman Linda Kent says gusty winds Monday afternoon were delaying the half-mile tow to Schnitzer Steel on the Hyleobs Waterway where the load of scrapped cars from Canada will be recycled.

Kent doesn't know exactly how many cars fell into the water Sunday. Officials are working on a plan to bring them up from 242 feet of water.

Officials also are investigating what caused a 15-inch crack in the hull of the barge.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

When the Coast Guard says a barge loaded with crushed Canadian cars can be moved it will finish a trip to a metal recycling yard in Tacoma - minus a few of the cars that splashed into Commencement Bay when the barge started leaking.

An inspector is checking Monday to make sure a temporary repair holds and the barge doesn't start leaking again on a half-mile tow to Schnitzer Steel on the Hylebos Waterway, said Coast Guard spokesman Nathan Littlejohn.

Several of the scrap car hulks fell into the bay Sunday after the leaking barge started listing to one side. They caused a slight sheen of residual oil on the water, but all liquids had been removed from the cars before they were crushed. Emergency responders placed a boom around the barge.

The cars will be unloaded at Schnitzer, the intended destination, said company spokeswoman Louise Bray.

A photo of the barge in The News Tribune showed the flattened cars were stacked more than 10 high with additional metal debris on top.

As soon as the problem was reported, Schnitzer and the barge owner hired Global Salvage and Diving to make repairs and stabilize the barge, said state Ecology Department spokeswoman Linda Kent.

The department is monitoring the operation with the Coast Guard and helping decide who will be responsible for retrieving the cars from the bottom of Commencement Bay.

The barge, about 200 feet long, is owned by Amix Marine Services of Surrey, British Columbia. It was making a routine trip with scrapped cars from the Vancouver area to Schnitzer, said company president Clark Longmuir.

It took on water while it was moored, but now it's stable and safe, he said Monday. He didn't know how many of the cars fell into the water. The barge will be assessed when it's unloaded and then returned to Vancouver for a thorough evaluation.

"These things can happen," Muir said. "It was dealt with a quickly as possible."

Linda Kent

Cleared barge to move

Holding off until winds die down

Once cars offloaded. Cg will inspect

In 242 feet of water.

Will be plan for cars

Looking at dealing with cars

14 to 16 inches crack up to quarter in ch wide

In hull

Cause unknow

Then develop plan for removing cars