Vicksburg Oil Spill Causes 800 Vessel Queue

Lower Mississippi vessel traffic queue management ongoing as Unified Command continue their response to damaged barge.

Following completion of the oil removal operations the damaged barge will be inspected and prepared for transit to a maritime facility in nearby Vicksburg.  The MOC-15 barge has been moved upriver from the MOC-12 oil removal operation and is waiting for transportation to a maritime facility.

Response crews have deployed 5,300 feet of boom to contain any potential oil releases. Skimming vessels have recovered approximately 8,400 gallons of oil-water mixture since the incident occurred. The tank levels are being continually monitored.
The unified command is working with the Coast Guard’s Marine Transportation System Recovery Unit to coordinate vessels moving northbound at night and southbound during the day.

A safety zone is in effect between mile marker 425 and mile marker 441 restricting travel to commercial vessels.  The Coast Guard is working with the Lower Mississippi River Committee to coordinate vessel movements through the safety zone.

According to the most recent update there are 29 northbound vessels with 439 barges and 19 southbound vessels with 315 barges waiting in the queue due to traffic restrictions.