Oil spills into Mississippi River after barges break loose [View all]

[limpyhobbler]

ALTON • A ship struck a barge fleet early Friday on the Mississippi River near Alton, setting off a domino effect that broke more than a dozen barges loose and ruptured a hose that spilled 300 gallons of crude oil.

Lt. Colin Fogarty of the U.S. Coast Guard said the good news is that river traffic was halted for only about an hour Friday as river workers scrambled to round up the wayward barges.

"These things can result in day-long or week-long closures, but the river industry kept it from turning into a larger event," Fogarty said. "It didn't matter what company they worked for. They worked together and gathered those barges and secured them."

In addition, a team from the Coast Guard is inspecting the shoreline and so far has seen no sign that the oil spill is causing problems, Fogarty said. He characterized 300 gallons as a "minor spill."
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http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/oil-spills-into-mississippi-river-after-barges-break-loose/article_ae1f5719-48d8-5527-82f8-072c1d944e5d.html