Americas News
Barge Collision and Oil Spill on the Mississippi
A 5-mile stretch of the Mississippi River was closed after a barge collision, just north of New Orleans, lead to an oil spill.
The oil tanker barge was reported to contain 3,535 barrels (approximately 148,000 gallons) of Louisiana sweet crude but preliminary estimates put the spill at less than 10,000 gallons.
The collision, which occurred at 2am, gouged a 5-by-10 foot hole in the side of the barge which began leaking its cargo until it was pushed by tug to the river bank when the spill halted.
"The source has been secured. There's no more oil leaking into the water at this time," the U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman said Friday morning.
No injuries were reported and a clean up company was hired within hours of the spill.
The river partially reopened at 11 a.m. when one-way navigation resumed, and by 6 p.m. upstream traffic was allowed to run until 4 a.m. Saturday. Alternating traffic directions will be maintained during cleanup.
The corridor is lined by chemical plants, refineries and the Port of South Louisiana, which handles a large percentage of the grain exported from farms across the US. Despite this, their operations did not appear to be seriously hampered by the closing of the river.
