Mississippi River Reopens to Towboat Traffic

The Coast Guard has reopened the Mississippi River for both-way traffic following the oil spill near Vicksburg.

The Captain of the Port has reduced the safety zone to one mile centered on either side of the two barges with no passing or overtaking within the zone.

“The Coast Guard is no longer actively managing the flow of towboat traffic and we are minimizing the safety zone to a one-mile distance to ensure the safety of response crews still working on the MOC-12 barge,” said Capt. William Drelling, Federal On Scene Commander for the Vicksburg oil spill.

The light crude oil product in the tank barges MOC-12 and MOC-15 was effectively removed to complete damage assessments and temporary repairs to prepare them for transit to a waiting marine facility. The barges will be moved following approval of a transit plan.

The unified command consists of representatives from the Coast Guard, state on-scene coordinators from Mississippi and Louisiana and the owner of the towing vessel, Nature’s Way Marine LLC. Personnel from Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River, Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Vicksburg and the Coast Guard’s National Strike Force are on scene as part of a unified command effort to oversee cleanup and salvage operations.

The Coast Guard investigation into the incident is ongoing.