(NEW ORLEANS) — The U.S. Coast Guard began monitoring a barge with heavy fuel oil aboard that went aground after a collision at mile marker 43.5 on the Port Allen route of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIW) on Saturday.
Watch standers at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received notification that two towboats, Creole Crusader and the Jack Odom, collided at approximately 12:30 a.m. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge personnel were notified and responded.
Creole Crusader was towing two barges containing heavy fuel oil, and Jack Odom was towing two empty barges and three barges of steel bars. All seven barges remained on scene Sunday; two barges were intentionally grounded to prevent flooding or pollution. A transfer of the oil was scheduled to take place Sunday.
The waterway was closed at mile marker 43.5 to all vessel traffic. No injuries or pollution have been reported.
– U.S. Coast Guard
