Barge traffic resumes after Mississippi oil spill; rains bolster depleted river levels

摘要

Barge traffic resumed on the Lower Mississippi River in early February after a nearly week-long closure caused by an oil spill near Vicksburg, Miss. A 16-mile stretch of the river at Vicksburg reopened to barge traffic on Feb. 2 after being closed for six days because of light crude oil spilling from a damaged barge (GM Feb. 4, p. 13). The barge was one of two that struck a railroad bridge near Mile Marker 436 at 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 27, causing crude to leak from the vessel's 80,000-gallon hold.