Posted on January 16, 2023 at 11:00 PM by
The Maritime Executive
On Monday morning, a small dredge capsized in the Mississippi River near Meraux, Louisiana, briefly forcing the closure of the waterway to shipping traffic.
At approximately 12:50 a.m. Monday, the New Orleans Coast Guard Sector received word that the dredge WB Wood it had capsized near shore at mile marker 85 on the Mississippi. Two crew members were rescued by a nearby tugboat, the omaha.
The waterway was briefly closed from mile marker 81-86 for incident management and reopened to traffic (with restrictions) later in the morning.
Courtesy of the US Coast Guard.
Sector New Orleans is coordinating with operator Wood Resources the contamination response and salvage plans. Three contracted spill response boats are on the scene performing a skim, and more than 3,000 gallons of oily water have been recovered so far.
The contractor has deployed nearly 1,000 feet of boom to contain the spilled oil while cleanup continues. A Coast Guard crew tracked the extent of the glow and found that it extends to mile 64. It is expected to dissipate naturally and any potentially related pollution reports will be investigated.
He WB Wood is a small 1,200 horsepower cutter suction dredger built by Dredging Supply, according to operator Wood Resources. It has a nominal capacity of 60 feet of cutter head depth and 120 feet of sand pumping depth.