The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard:
(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — The Coast Guard is responding to a report of a barge taking on water at mile marker 626, Monday, on the Ohio River, 21 miles west of Louisville.
At approximately 8:30 a.m., the captain of the motor vessel City of Redwood notified the Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley command center that a barge they were pushing was taking on water. The barge is carrying a cargo of hydrochloric acid.
The Coast Guard dispatched a response team and notified Kentucky and Indiana state and local officials.
There are no reports of lost or contaminated cargo, flooding in the cargo tanks, or pollution in the water, as the flooding is limited to the void spaces of the barge.
“We’ve dispatched a team of marine investigators to the towing vessel, and they are currently working with the crew of the vessel to ensure that the flooding is contained to the void space. They are also verifying that none of the cargo has been released,” said Ens. Tucker Rodeffer, chief of Facility Inspections for Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley.
The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.
