News / Economy

Collision of ships, oil spill shut part of Mississippi River in US

Tuesday, 07 April 2015 2:20 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 07 April 2015 2:30 PM ]

Image shows oil spill in Mississippi River.

Authorities in the US state of Louisiana have ended up shutting down a length of 65 miles of the Mississippi River when a massive amount of oil spilled into the sensitive waterway caused after three vessels collided with each other.

The incident happened on Monday afternoon.

It’s not yet clear how much oil was spilled into the river, but according to the US Coast Guard, the amount of oil spilled is being estimated so far at 420 gallons.

The statement by the military force also confirmed the spill happened after a ship collided with vessels including one that was delivering crude to its destination.

Coast Guards on the scene have told local media that no one was hurt and have assured the public no harm was inflicted as a direct cause of the incident to the fresh water supply used by millions of locals in the area.

The spill, however, has caused the closure of a port on the river and a long line of ship traffic, including oil tankers on the waterway which are still waiting to get to their destinations.

Ships wait to head to their destination as oil spill takes toll on major waterway in the US.

The Mississippi River, being America’s longest waterway, connects several states to the Gulf of Mexico.

Authorities, local media say, are on the scene trying to ease the potential environmental damage as the ecosystem of the Mississippi is highly sensitive and rare, and is also a key source of fresh water and major industrial location.

In fact, according to US energy administration, there are 8 oil refiners just on the banks of the Mississippi River that account for 12% of the total capacity of American oil needs, therefore making it a vital transportation and regional economic hub for the United States.

Usually, plants in the region have extra supplies on hand to use in case of a traffic holdup in the river when they cannot receive inventory on time, but oil refineries, especially those affected by the waterway closure, have not commented to several media outlets’ inquiries.

Oil spills account for billions of dollars in clean up costs and the costs of loss of business, property, and environment, almost becoming another industry in the United States all by itself analysts claim.

Not too far away from Monday’s oil spill, a rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 led to the largest oil spill in petroleum’s history affecting millions of people, and millions of square miles of rare and crucial ecosystems.

HDS/GJH

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