Oil Spill Forces Closure Of Mississippi River Stretch And New Orleans Port
International Business Times
Published Feb 24, 2014 12:49AM ET
Updated Feb 24, 2014 01:26AM ET
Oil Spill Forces Closure Of Mississippi River Stretch And New Orleans Port
By Suman Varandani - A 65-mile stretch of the Mississippi River and the Port of New Orleans were closed to maritime traffic until further notice Sunday after a barge carrying light-crude oil collided with a towboat, spilling oil into the river.
According to reports, the U.S. Coast Guard said that the barge and the towboat collided between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The collision happened on Saturday afternoon near Vacherie, La., 47 miles west of New Orleans.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough reportedly said that there was no news on how much oil had spilled into the river. He added that no one was injured and all barges were secured, and that the cause behind the collision was being investigated.
Colclough reportedly said that the barge, one of two loaded with light crude, being pushed by the Hannah C. Settoon, hit the Lindsay Ann Erickson, which was pushing a grain barge. He added that he was unaware if the Lindsay Ann Erickson was damaged.
By late Sunday afternoon, around 16 vessels had been waiting to go downriver and 10 vessels were waiting in an upriver queue. New Orleans city officials shut down the public water-intake valves, which are located on the river, as a safety precaution.
"The water supply in St. Charles Parish remains safe," parish officials reportedly said, in a news release Sunday afternoon.
The Mississippi River and the nearby area are no strangers to boat collisions and oil spills.
According to the Guardian Liberty Voice, last month, a barge carrying 600,000 gallons of crude oil crashed at “one of the two most difficult turns in the Mississippi River.” The barge spilled more than 10,000 gallons of oil affecting the nearby riverbed, leaving a “long-term impact” in the sediment.
Get The News You Want
Written By: International Business Times
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.