Tow boat accident causes oil spill in Mississippi River
4,421 views · Published 1 March 2013 · 0:48 · Indexed 6 October 2026
Channel: News Direct · 2013 · News & Politics
Light crude oil began spewing into the Mississippi River when a towboat pulling two barges collided with a railroad bridge near Vicksburg, Mississippi at 1:12am on Sunday. The stern of the first barge struck the bridge, causing crude oil to leak into the water. The second barge appeared to be unharmed. An oil sheen was reportedly seen as far as three miles downriver of Vicksburg. Authorities were unclear as to how much crude leaked into the water. The affected barge was banked on the west side of the river while the US Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit set up absorbent booms to contain the spill. Authorities sealed off the river eight miles north and south of the accident while they tried to clean up the spill. The barge was holding 80,000 gallons of light crude oil, officials said. The towboat, Nature's Way Endeavor, is owned by Nature's Way Marine LLC, whose website says the vessel is a 90-foot, 3,000-horsepower towboat that was built in 1974 and rebuilt in 2011.
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