Oil Spill Closes 65 miles of Mississippi River
A 65-mile (105-km) stretch of the lower Mississippi River, including the Port of New Orleans, remained closed on Sunday night while crews cleaned up oil that spilled when a barge was hit by another vessel, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The collision happened on Saturday afternoon near Vacherie, Louisiana, about 52 miles (84 km) west of New Orleans, according to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough. The Lindsay Ann Erickson, which was pushing grain barges, collided with a barge carrying barrels of light crude oil pushed by the Hannah C. Settoon, which caused oil to go into the river, according to Colclough. No injuries were reported, and the source of the oil has been secured, the Coast Guard said.
USACE Photo: Flood Response
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers vessels and crews prepare to conduct flood response operations with Coast Guard response boat crews along the banks of the Mississippi River, May 1, 2011. The USACE and the Coast Guard are working with various states and agencies to minimize damage to property, structures and to help save lives form historic flood levels. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.