Collision Results In Sunken Barge On Lower Miss
Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report around 9:20 p.m. April 27 of a collision between the mv. Ginny Stone, a 200-foot by 50-foot towboat owned by American River Transportation Company (ARTCo), and the mv. Isla De Bioko, a 610-foot-long Panamanian-flagged tanker.
The Isla De Bioko was northbound near Mile 110 on the Lower Mississippi River at the time of the collision, which resulted in six barges breaking free and one barge, loaded with urea, sinking, according to the Coast Guard. ARTCo’s Twelve-Mile Fleet is located at Mile 110 on the left descending bank of the Lower Mississippi River.
According to the Coast Guard, vessels in the area responded and retrieved four of the six barges that broke away. The other two barges were lodged on the anchor lines of the Red Fin and the Bulker Bee 30, two cargo ships moored in the area at the time.
In response to the collision, the Coast Guard closed the Mississippi River to navigation between Miles 108 and 111. A subsequent channel survey by the New Orleans Engineer District located the sunken barge about 75 feet below the water line. With the sunken barge located and the two barges no longer afoul on the ships’ anchor lines, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans reopened the river to navigation at about 3 p.m. April 28, although restrictions remained. The Coast Guard required all vessels to transit the area between Miles 109.5 and 110.5 at their slowest safe speed, all vessels to avoid meeting or overtaking in that area, and southbound deep draft ships to transit the area in daylight hours only.
“Elevated river levels are contributing to challenging conditions, but the Coast Guard is actively coordinating with the responsible party to assess the incident and [in] salvage planning,” the Coast Guard stated in a press release.
No injuries or environmental impacts were reported, and the incident remains under investigation.
As of May 1, the Ginny Stone was moored at ARTCo’s fleet near Ama, La., while the Isla De Bioko was farther upriver near Convent, La.
LMR Near Crest
The April 27 collision occurred less than a week ahead of the crest on the Mississippi River, which was forecast to top out at about 16.8 feet on the Carrollton Gage in New Orleans on May 2, followed by a slow fall. According to the New Orleans District, if the forecast holds true, the Mississippi River will not reach a flow rate of 1.25 million cubic feet per second in New Orleans, which is the trigger point for operating the Bonnet Carré Spillway.
