Multiple barges broke free and one later sank in the Upper Mississippi River after a tow struck parts of the Fort Madison Bridge near Fort Madison, Iowa.
The 6,120-hp towboat Joe B. Wyatt was downbound at mile 384 when its 15-barge tow bumped against the bridge’s fenders and protection cells at about 1315 on May 9, 2024. One barge was damaged and later sank outside the channel, according to Lt. Eric Kiehlmeier, a spokesperson for U.S. Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi.
“The barge hit the protection cell and the mariner pushed it to the right descending bank after it started taking on water about a mile south of the bridge,” he said, adding that there were no injuries or pollution stemming from the incident.
Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Quad Cities is leading the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also is investigating the incident. Kiehlmeier declined to discuss a possible cause while the case is active.
Ingram Barge Co. of Nashville, Tenn., operated the 157-foot Joe B. Wyatt, which was built in 1982. Thirteen barges in the tow carried grain and other agricultural crops, and two were empty. The barge that sank carried dry corn.
“Thanks to internal and external resources, we are happy to report that the several barges that broke out of the 15-barge tow were safely recovered and the impacted grain cargo has been transloaded,” an Ingram Barge Co. spokesperson said via email. “Normal river traffic was able to resume within several hours of the incident. We are also thankful that there were no injuries caused by the allision, and that there was no adverse environmental impact.
“At Ingram Barge,” the spokesperson continued, “we constantly strive for ‘Zero Harm’ and are proud of our strong record of safety over the years.”
River conditions at the time were not unusual for the late spring. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) river gauge located just upstream from the bridge registered 526.7 feet and slowly rising the afternoon of the bridge strike, just a few inches below action stage.
The Fort Madison Bridge contains a two-lane highway and a railroad bridge runs that links Fort Madison and Niota, Ill., across the Upper Mississippi. Authorities closed the bridge soon after the strike, but reopened it within three hours following an inspection.
The 97-year-old span is a steel truss bridge with a swing span in the middle that opens for river traffic. The bridge is 1,675 feet long, with a 525-foot swinging truss that was once the longest and heaviest in the country, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Good Samaritan tugs helped corral the breakaway barges soon after they broke free, the NTSB said. Salvage crews removed the sunken barge about five days after the incident.
The towboat pilot’s decision to push the stricken barge outside the navigation channel likely limited impacts to other tows transiting the area. Kiehlmeier said the Coast Guard closed the river for only few hours during the bridge inspections but reopened it the same afternoon.