Clean up crews plan to go into Mississippi River after collision causes oil spill in Kentucky
Damage on a barge is seen as it is moored along the Kentucky shore of the Mississippi River at Columbus-Belmont State Park in Columbus, Ky., Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015. A tow, seen in the background, traveling north on the river struck the barge as it was traveling south across the river. The Mississippi River has been closed to barge traffic because the damaged barge leaked clarified slurry oil. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee)
Associated Press Sept. 4, 2015 | 7:11 a.m. EDT
By BRUCE SCHREINER and ADRIAN SAINZ, Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ky. (AP) — Clean up crews planned to go into the Mississippi River on Friday in Kentucky after a collision between two tow boats caused an oil spill that prompted the closure of that part of the river.
The collision Wednesday evening near Columbus, Kentucky, damaged at least one barge carrying clarified slurry oil. The cargo tank ruptured, causing thousands of gallons of oil to spill into the river, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
No injuries were reported.
The river was closed Thursday from mile markers 938 to 922, Petty Officer Lora Ratliff said.
The barge was carrying approximately 1 million gallons, but the breach was only in one area, affecting just one of its six tanks, Ratliff said. That tank holds 250,000 gallons, and Lt. Takila Powell said a little more than 120,000 gallons spilled into the river.
The Coast Guard said it was working with the barge owner, Inland Marine Services, and an oil spill response organization. Inland Marine Services referred calls to its public relations person, Patrick Crowley, who did not return repeated calls seeking comment.
Both tow boat operators had been interviewed by Coast Guard investigators and underwent drug and alcohol testing, but results weren't back yet, Powell said.
"We are working diligently to try to restore our marine transportation system," Powell said. "We understand that it is vital."
The Coast Guard determined five barges were damaged in the collision, but nothing other than the oil leaked into the river, Powell said.
The tow boats were moored on opposite sides of the river and a long gash was apparent in the smaller vessel. River traffic was backed up on both sides, though it wasn't yet known how many vessels were backed up. By Thursday evening, there was no sign of a large cleanup operation.
Powell said cleanup efforts had started with the barge and that crews put a boom around the ruptured cargo tank to prevent any residual oil from leaking into the river. Cleanup crews Friday will go into the river to try to determine where the oil is, with a goal of trying to recover as much of the oil as possible from the river.
Some oil was recovered from the surface during cleanup operations Thursday, Powell said, but she didn't know how much.
Powell said the oil is thick and has to be heated to be transferred or moved.
"How this type of product typically would react is that when it reaches the water that is of a lower temperature, it would solidify and sink," she said Thursday. "But one of the things that we will be doing (Friday) is trying to determine where that oil has migrated to, to try to determine whether or not it has moved down the river or if it's still in the vicinity of where the collision occurred."
The collision happened in the middle of the river channel near Columbus, Kentucky, late Wednesday, the Coast Guard said. The cause was under investigation. The closure stretched 17 miles south to the city of Hickman.
Powell said it was hard to say how much of the oil was released mid-channel because the barge was eventually pushed up to the bank.
Powell said there had been no reports of fish kills.
A
May 19 oil pipeline rupture in California caused a spill of what has
been estimated to be up to 143,000 gallons of crude, according to
documents from Texas-based Plains All American Pipeline. That spill
forced a popular state park to shut down for two months, and goo from
the spill washed up on beaches as far as 100 miles away. A July 2008 spill caused by a collision between a tugboat and a barge carrying oil on the Mississippi River in New Orleans sent 282,000 gallons into the water and caused the closure of the river.
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Thousands of Gallons of Oil Spilled in Mississippi River
COLUMBUS, Ky. — Sep 3, 2015, 9:22 PM ET
By BRUCE SCHREINER and ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press
Part of the Mississippi River was closed as crews investigated an oil spill caused by the collision of two tow boats, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.
The collision Wednesday evening near Columbus, Kentucky, damaged at least one barge carrying clarified slurry oil. The cargo tank was ruptured, causing thousands of gallons of oil to spill into the river, the Coast Guard said.
No injuries were reported.
The river is closed from mile markers 938 to 922, Petty Officer Lora Ratliff said.
The barge was carrying approximately 1 million gallons, but the breach was only in one area, affecting just one of its six tanks, Ratliff said. That tank holds 250,000 gallons, and Lt. Takila Powell said a little more than 120,000 gallons spilled into the river.
The Coast Guard said it was working with the barge owner, Inland Marine Services, and an oil spill response organization. Inland Marine Services referred calls to its public relations person, Patrick Crowley, who did not return repeated calls seeking comment.
Both tow boat operators had been interviewed by Coast Guard investigators and underwent drug and alcohol testing, but results aren't back yet, Powell said.
It wasn't known how long the river would be closed.
"We are working diligently to try to restore our marine transportation system," Powell said. "We understand that it is vital."
The Coast Guard determined five barges were damaged in the collision, but nothing other than the oil leaked into the river, Powell said.
The tow boats were moored on opposite sides of the river and a long gash was apparent in the smaller vessel. River traffic was backed up on both sides, though it wasn't yet known how many vessels were backed up. By Thursday evening, there was no sign of a large cleanup operation.
Powell said cleanup efforts had started with the barge and that crews put a boom around the ruptured cargo tank to prevent any residual oil from leaking into the river. Cleanup crews Friday will go into the river to try to determine where the oil is, with a goal of trying to recover as much of the oil as possible from the river.
Some oil was recovered from the surface during cleanup operations Thursday, Powell said, but she didn't know how much.
Powell said the oil is thick and has to be heated to be transferred or moved.
"How this type of product typically would react is that when it reaches the water that is of a lower temperature, it would solidify and sink," she said Thursday. "But one of the things that we will be doing tomorrow is trying to determine where that oil has migrated to, to try to determine whether or not it has moved down the river or if it's still in the vicinity of where the collision occurred."
The collision happened in the middle of the river channel near Columbus, Kentucky, late Wednesday, the Coast Guard said. The cause was under investigation. The closure stretched 17 miles south to the city of Hickman.
Powell said it was hard to say how much of the oil was released mid-channel because the barge was eventually pushed up to the bank.
Keleia McCloud, assistant director of the Hickman port, says both the port and ferry service were operating normally.
Hickman County official Kenny Wilson said local communities experienced no disruptions from the spill and the water supply in Columbus was not affected because it comes from wells. He said Columbus-Belmont State Park remained open.
Powell said there had been no reports of fish kills.
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Coast Guard response continues to tug collision near Paducah
September 3rd, 2015
PADUCAH, Ky. – On-scene assessment teams have reported the maximum estimated potential clarified slurry oil released from the tug collision is now 250,000 gallons, Thursday.
The maximum potential spill has been reduced because the two remaining partitions aboard the affected barge were reportedly secured.
A Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed wing aircraft conducted an over flight earlier today, which revealed a five-mile discoloration beginning at the impact site.
A safety zone is in place on the Mississippi River, and currently closed to all traffic except response vessels between mile markers 939-922. A queue is in place, six up bound and nine down bound.
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 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 cause of the collision is currently under investigation.
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SEPTEMBER 3rd, 2015
PADUCAH, KYAn 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.
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Posted: September 3, 2015PADUCAH, KY (KFVS) -
The Coast Guard is investigating a towboat collision on the Mississippi River near Columbus, KY.
According to the Coast Guard, watchstanders received a call about the collision between two towboats at mile marker 937 at 8:22 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Coast Guard reports the collision caused damage to a barge containing clarified slurry oil.
It is leaking an unknown amount into the water.
The Coast Guard reports the barge reportedly can carry up to 1.05 million gallons of the the oil.
Along with the barge owner and an oil response organization, the Coast Guard is working to determine how much of the slurry oil has been discharged.
The incident is under investigation.
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Slurry oil. It is very viscous. Good luck with the cleanup!Slurry oil is a heavy aromatic by-product of a refinery's fluid catalytic cracking unit that forms a small part of global fuel oil supply. Generally, it is mixed into heavy fuel oil as a viscosity cutter. Slurry oil's low API gravity, however, limits how much can be blended.
The US has never been a heavy user of fuel oil and, in fact, produces more slurry oil than it can absorb. US Gulf Coast refiners and traders, in particular, must find outlets for excess slurry oil.
The US carbon black industry has always used slurry oil as feedstock (CBFS), but Asian carbon black companies have now become major customers for US slurry CBFS. Because not all slurry oils meet CBFS specifications, however, traders lately have found it profitable to ship slurry oil to Singapore where it is blended with high API gravity, low-sulfur oil components to meet the high fuel oil demand in Asia.