(WASHINGTON) — On May 5, 2025, at 0957 local time, the towing vessel Myra Eckstein, with a crew of 10 on board, was pushing 25 barges downbound on the Lower Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Miss., when the lead barge on the starboard side contacted a fixed pier of the Vicksburg Highway 80 Bridge at mile 435.8. As a result of the contact, five barges broke away; four were recovered and one sank. There were no injuries and no pollution was reported. Damage to the barges was estimated at $941,000.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the incident was the captain’s inability to overcome the effect of high-water and high-current conditions on the tow and correct the tow’s track, which was closer to the river’s right descending bank than recent downbound tows, as the tow approached the bridge.
“The history of bridge strikes at the Vicksburg Highway 80 Bridge (29 reported contacts over the last 14 years) indicates that the location of the bridge and the geography of the approach make it difficult for downbound tows to pass through the span, particularly in high water,” the NTSB said in its report. “Even with a wide, 800-foot horizontal clearance, the bridge is more difficult to transit than others because of the increased risk associated with the approach, which leaves operators only 1.1 miles from the end of the 121-degree bend at Delta Point to line up their tows to pass through the Vicksburg bridges.
“In extreme high water, such as on the day of the accident (about 3 feet above major flood stage, and about 16 feet above historic normal stage), bends and their associated cross currents and eddies create hazardous navigation conditions. In addition, high water on the day of the accident produced fast currents (estimated at 6 mph) that further increased the risk of contact while navigating a tow through the Vicksburg bridges,” the agency said.
Click here to read the complete report.
– National Transportation Safety Board
