UpdateMississippi river closed after collision

23 July 2008 22:58  [Source: ICIS news]

(Adds detail, updates throughout)

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Enviromental officials said on Wednesday they were unsure when a 29-mile stretch of the Mississippi river would be reopened following the collision of a barge and chemical tanker near New Orleans, Louisiana, the US Coast Guard said on Thursday.

The early morning collision caused the spill of 419,286 gallons (1.6m litres) of fuel oil. Officials said they were unsure when the river would be reopened. No injuries were reported.

The 600-foot chemical tanker Tintomara nearly split a 61-foot American Commercial Lines (ACL) barge pushed by the tug boat, Mel Oliver, near the New Orleans suburb of Harahan, according to the US Coast Guard and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

The barge's fuel oil, used mostly to heat boilers in refineries, was loaded in Gretna, authorities said.

The Coast Guard said it was working with the Louisiana DEQ, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordination Office, oil spill response organisations and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to contain the spill.

As of mid-day Wednesday, 10 vessels were stalled northbound on the river and 15 southbound, according to Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Mike O'Berry.

Oil from the spill was visible along the New Orleans riverfront, with the heavy smell wafting through the French Quarter and other downtown areas of the city, O'Berry said.

After losing all of its fuel oil, the barge came to rest about a mile south of the incident, near the Crescent City Connection Bridge, the Louisiana DEQ said.

Ten members of a National Strike Force requested by the Coast Guard responded to help guide emergency efforts.

"It's a mess," said Jean Kelly, DEQ public information officer, adding that she had not heard any target date for reopening the river.

"There's not a realistic estimate yet" of how long the Mississippi will be closed, Kelly said.

Environmental officials were coordinating an effort to pool the oil and prevent it from drifting farther south, where there are more levee breaks that would allow it to spill into the wetlands, Kelly said.

A DEQ contractor set up floating booms to protect local water intakes and marsh areas.

Cleanup contractors were on site and would begin skimming operations to recover the oil, she added.

ACL said in a statement that its barge was being towed by DRD Towing of Harvey, Louisiana, and that the barge hit the Tintomara.

ACL said it was not responsible for the accident.

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By: Lane Kelley
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