Up to 2,100 gallons of oil were spilled in the Mississippi river from a tanker near Kenner, the U.S. Coast Guard said on July 29.
The ship, Hafnia Rhine, spilled the fuel oil into the river while fueling a barge at the river’s mile marker 115 in Ama, Louisiana. The oil spread to at least 50 barges in the area.
Coast Guard pollution responders deployed to the scene Thursday and the spill was stopped. Since then, the National Response Corporation and Environmental Safety and Health Consulting Services tried to remove the oil from the water.
The services have since established 2,700 feet of containment boom, a floating barrier used to contain the oil, and 3,320 feet of sorbent boom, a barrier that soaks up oil, around the area where the spill occurred.
The Coast Guard is committed to overseeing a timely cleanup of oil to mitigate environmental impacts through its coordination with partner agencies and the continued assessment of shorelines and waterways
USCG said.
No wildlife are known to be affected by the spill from the Singaporean-flagged tanker and the cause is still under investigation.
