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Crews working to contain oil after tugs collide on river

1 decade 1 year 1 month ago Thursday, February 14 2013 Feb 14, 2013 February 14, 2013 9:55 PM February 14, 2013 in News
Source: WBRZ
By: Trey Schmaltz

BATON ROUGE- The Coast Guard and other emergency responders are on the Mississippi River, working to contain an oil spill after some tugboats collided.

An official with the USCG told WBRZ News 2, a tug and barge was docked, off loading an oil product when another tug and barge collided with it. The jolt broke the connection between the oil storage tanks and the pipeline, leaking some of the oil into the river.

The Coast Guard estimates about 150-250 gallons of oil leaked into the Mississippi.

A response team set-up oil containment boom and trapped most of the oil. But, some floated down river before it could be stopped.

The incident happened at about 8:40 p.m. Thursday just north of the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge. Crews are expected to work through the night to resolve the issue.

Collection points have been established down river from Baton Rouge to collect oil as it follows the current of the river.

There is no cause for alarm, the Coast Guard said.

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Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter: @treyschmaltz

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