Ship-barge crash closes Mississippi at New Orleans

Ship-barge crash closes Mississippi at New Orleans : A stretch of the Mississippi River at New Orleans could be closed for days as crews clean a 12-mile oil slick caused Wednesday when a tanker and barge collided, officials said. Heavy, almost tar-like fuel oil spilled from the barge, forming the slick and closing about 47 miles of the river, the Coast Guard said. The barge "was T-boned and split in half," Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Cdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said. It held more than 419,000 gallons of fuel oil in three tanks. Investigators don't know whether all three tanks broke but "are assuming the worst-case discharge of all 9,980 barrels," said Capt. Lincoln Stroh, Coast Guard captain of the port of New Orleans. Ben-Iesau said a tugboat without a properly licensed pilot was pushing the barge; the person operating the boat had... [read full story]