Barge Sinks in Kentucky Lock

Officials are working to clear a barge that sunk in Kentucky Lock’s chamber on Saturday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.

The barge carrying gravel hung on the miter sill of the lock, which caused the bow to tip and take on water, lockmaster Caleb Skinner said.

Both deckhands that were working at the time remained unharmed during the incident, which occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m.

The owner of the barge, Terral River Service, is working with USACE Nashville District and plans to refloat the barge on Tuesday, Skinner said.

“To recover the barge the owner will pump water out and hopes to float and remove it from the lock chamber by the end of the day,” Skinner  said.

The impact from this closure to the navigation industry and recreational vessels is minimized due to a series of intermittent closures already scheduled 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 13-30 to paint the upstream miter gates and repair armor plating on the upstream guard wall.

While Kentucky Lock is closed, vessels are able to use Barkley Canal to travel between the Tennessee River and Cumberland River to use Barkley Lock to navigate to and from the lower Ohio River.