The crew of a towboat was forced to abandon ship after their vessel caught on fire while pushing barges on the lower Mississippi River near Greenville, Mississippi on Wednesday.
Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River watchstanders received a report at 7:20 a.m. of the towboat Leland Speaks adrift and on fire on the lower Mississippi River. Other towboats reportedly gained control of the vessel and pushed it aground at mile marker 509.
The Leland Speaks has an estimated 80,000 gallons aboard and was pushing 21 dry barges.
There are no reports of pollution or impacts to the environment.
The Coast Guard issued a waterway restriction from mile marker 500 to mile marker 520 to limit vessel traffic in the area.
The Coast Guard reports that there were eight people aboard the Leland Speaks when the vessel caught fire, all of whom abandoned the burning vessel onto towboats in the area. There are no reports of injuries.
There are no reports of hazardous material aboard the barges.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Updated: November 12, 2021 (Originally published February 21, 2018)
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple partner agencies are responding to a barge fire in Delaware Bay on Tuesday after a tug reported that the vessel it was towing had caught fire....
A fire in the engine room of the Singapore-registered bulk carrier MANDY has resulted in the deaths of two crew members and left a third hospitalized following an incident off the coast of China.
Salvage crews have removed roughly 1,000 gallons of residual fuel from the grounded barge Defiant near the entrance to San Juan Harbor, significantly reducing environmental risk as officials prepare a plan to refloat the 265-foot vessel. The port remains open, and no pollution or injuries have been reported.
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
