Dozens of barges broke away on Sunday on the Ohio River, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Moundsville, West Virginia, due to ice and high water.
27 barges broke away from Jack’s Run Fleeting near Pittsburgh, two of which remain unaccounted for and are reported to be located above the dam. 7 were reported to have gone over Emsworth Lock & Dam. A reported 34 barges broke away from fleeting areas at mile maker 94 on the Ohio River near Moundsville and they have been located. There are a reported two barges in the channel.
A unified command consisting of the US Coast Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers and industry partners are responding to the incident. The ice clearing work is necessary to regain operation of the lock gates and to clear a channel for recovery vessels. The US Army Corps of Engineers is continuing ice-breaking and removal operations at Emsworth Lock and Dam to open the area for salvage crews.
The response efforts have been hampered from the inclement weather conditions, as in some cases, ice was building up behind the barges. However, there are no reports of significant damage to Emsworth Lock & Dam and no environmental concerns from pollution, the USCG informed.
USCG advises mariners to be cautious of potential heavy ice flows resulting from the ice breaking efforts at Emsworth Lock and Dam.
Two safety zones, full waterway closures, were established from mile marker 93 to mile marker 110 and mile marker 2 to mile marker 20 on the Ohio River, due to risk of channel obstructions.
“The Coast Guard is working in tandem with our federal and industry stakeholders to account for all barges involved in both incidents and to facilitate the reopening of the waterways and the resumption of commerce,” said Cmdr. Leon McClain, Jr., the Captain of the Port of Pittsburgh.
