Barge Accident Closes Five Mile Ohio River Stretch
Date: 30-Jan-06
Country: USA
A barge carrying 20,000 barrels of liquid asphalt and 14,000 gallons of diesel fuel broke away from its tow Thursday afternoon as it was approaching the McAlpine Locks.
The barge went over the spillway and was pinned against the K&I Railroad Bridge. The Coast Guard was evaluating when it could reopen the stretch from mile marker 606 to 611, Lt. Commander Craig Dykes said.
The closure was not expected to have a big impact on the grain market Friday, a dealer on the lower Ohio River said.
Exporters at the US Gulf were well stocked with soybeans and corn.
An unknown amount of liquid asphalt and fuel had leaked into the river from the barge, which was still pinned against the bridge Friday morning.
No injuries related to the accident were reported, Dykes said.
The barge's operator, Magnolia Marine Transportation, had already hired a salvage crew and an environmental cleanup company, Dykes said.
A lawyer for Magnolia said the cause of the accident had not yet been determined. Magnolia's last accident occurred in May of 2002, when a tugboat pushing two barges on the Arkansas River crashed into the Interstate 40 bridge near Webber Falls, Oklahoma, the lawyer said.
