A vessel collided with the locks and spilled more than 600 tons of oil into the Mississippi river. The section of the river was closed for cleaning the oil spill.
The vessel unexpectedly collided with the lock while passing through the Lock and Dam 27 near Granite City in Illinois. The collision damaged the fuel tank of the vessel through which 600 tons of oil spilled into the river. Hence, a section of the river was closed up for cleaning operations. And two boats with oil booms were dispatched to the spot.
The vessel was detained for further investigations and will be pulled for repairs. No details about the ship was disclosed.
An update of the incident states that the cleaning operations were successful and the river was reopened for traffic. The reports state that the towing vessel collided with the stone wall of the lock. The auxiliary lock was opened at the Lock and Dam 27 site for commercial operations and restarted the shipping through the section. Fortunately, there is no harm for the wildlife and the environment.
According to witness the tug was proceeding to the log with slow speed, but the current was too strong and drifted to the stone wall and suffered board breaches, which damaged the fuel tank. The investigation is underway to find the cause of the incident.
