All four crew members of the Michelle Anne safely escaped Thursday, but a Coast Guard incident management team confirmed a oil sheen in the water.
A 1.5-mile stretch of the lower Mississippi River in Louisiana reopened Thursday night after being closed for several hours due to a towing vessel sinking earlier in the day at Baton Rouge General Anchorage, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Brandon Giles said the Michelle Anne sank after hitting another boat’s anchor chain about 11 a.m., according to the Associated Press. All four crew members on the vessel safely evacuated onto the dry cargo barge it was pushing before being rescued by a nearby tug, the Coast Guard said.
A Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge incident management team confirmed late Thursday evening an oil sheen in the water. The Michelle Anne had a reported 18,500 gallons of fuel and an unknown amount of oil has discharged into the river, according to the Coast Guard’s statement.
The Coast Guard and OMI Environmental are managing the spill from the shore due to dangerous river conditions.
