PADUCAH, Ky. – An Incident Command Post has been established in response to a tow boat collision on the Mississippi River near Paducah Thursday.
Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley watchstanders received a call about a collision between two towboats at mile marker 937 at 8:22 p.m. Wednesday.
The collision caused damage to at least one barge containing clarified slurry oil, rupturing the cargo tank and discharging an unknown amount of oil into the Mississippi River.
The barge reportedly has a maximum potential of 1.05 million gallons of clarified slurry oil. The Coast Guard is working with the barge owner and SWS, an oil spill response organization, to determine the amount of slurry oil that has been discharged.
The Mississippi River has been closed to all traffic from Mile Marker 938 to 922, with the exception of authorized vessels working the incident.
The cause of the collision is currently under investigation.