Coast Guard responds to report of crude oil in Mississippi River

RESERVE, La. - A Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew surveys a portion of the lower Mississippi River after a crude oil discharge occurred following a collision between a construction barge and a tank barge, Feb. 17, 2012. The Coast Guard, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office and Settoon Towing have established a unified command to respond to the incident. U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS — A Coast Guard MH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station New Orleans conducted an overflight assessment of the lower Mississippi River after a crude oil discharge occurred following a collision between a construction barge and a tank barge, Friday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received notification at 1:58 a.m., Friday, that a construction barge, towed by the tug Alydar, and a tank barge, towed by the motor vessel Clarence W. Settoon collided near mile marker 139, approximately 50 miles upriver of New Orleans.

The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund has been opened and ES&H has been contracted as the oil spill response organization.

No injuries were reported.

The unified command consists of representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office and Settoon Towing's Spill and Emergency Management Team.

The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.

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