The US Coast Guard is working to determine exactly what led to an oil tanker and a tug boat crashing on the Mississippi River.
"The Coast Guard responded to a vessel collision that resulted in a barge breakaway and one sunken barge on the Lower Mississippi River near New Orleans," the Guard said in a news release.
Six barges broke away and were drifting out of control.
"The Panamanian flagged Motor Vessel ISLA DE BIOKO and the US flagged Towing Vessel GINNY STONE were involved in a collision at mile marker 110."
One barge loaded with Urea sank. Urea is a chemical used in fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, and resins.
"Assist tugs in the area diverted and successfully retrieved four drifting barges."
Two more got caught in the anchor lines of other ships.
Luckily, there are no reports of barges damaging the levees with the river nearing flood stage.
"The Captain of Port (COTP) temporarily closed the Lower Mississippi River Waterway from mile marker 108 to 111, above Head of Passes, due to the safety hazards associated with the barge breakaway and sunken barge. The US Army Corps of Engineers completed a survey of the channel and confirmed the sunken barge’s location to be approximately 75 feet below the water line."
The river has since reopened.
"Elevated river levels are contributing to challenging conditions, but the Coast Guard is actively coordinating with the responsible party to assess the incident and salvage planning. The cause of the incident remains under investigation."
The Coast Guard says that there are no reports of injuries, wildlife or shoreline impacts from the incident Sunday.
