Coast Guard reopens Mississippi

Coast Guard reopens Mississippi    The U.S. Coast Guard said it reopened a section of the Mississippi River around Baton Rouge Monday afternoon to northbound traffic with restrictions and tighter controls.
   The river had been closed over the weekend following the sinking of three barges on Friday.
   Resumption of southbound transits was being discussed with port entities and the maritime industry, the Coast Guard added. The decision to proceed with southbound traffic will be based on applying necessary additional restrictions as a result of this incident, it said. As of Monday afternoon there were 27 vessels waiting to transit southbound.
   At about 1:30 p.m., Friday, watchstanders at Vessel Traffic Service New Orleans received a report that a 195-foot vessel, Crimson Gem, was pushing 20 barges of grain when one stuck the Rhodea Dock and three of the Crimson Gem’s barges sank. The Coast Guard said it is working with American River Transport Co., a subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland Co. and owner of the Crimson Gem and its barges, to approve a salvage plan for the safe removal of the three barges, which are located in the river between the Highway 190 and Interstate 10 bridges.
   There are no reports of pollution or injuries.
   The Coast Guard opened the Mississippi River to northbound traffic from mile marker 228 to 237 Monday, but vessels must transit one at a time and coordinate with Vessel Traffic Service New Orleans for permission to transit.
   The Coast Guard said salvage operations for the barges are not scheduled to begin until water levels have reached a level that is deemed safe.
   “The barges do not present a hazard to navigation and are being constantly monitored for any movement,” said Lt. Cmdr. Quincy Davis, commanding officer of Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge. “We are working closely with the Army Corps of Engineers, the contracted salvage companies and the barges’ owner to approve a salvage plan to remove the barges. But, we will wait until the water levels drop so we can safely conduct those operations.”
   The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.