On February 18, the 170 foot long towboat Washington allided with a bridge over the Ohio River between Evansville, Indiana and Henderson, Kentucky. The Washington was pushing 10 empty barges when it struck the middle pier of the Twin Bridge. There was no damage to the towboat or barges and the bridge sustained only a minor scrape. Authorities were alerted to the incident and traffic was reduced on the bridge until it could be inspected. No reports of injuries or pollution released.
The 58 foot long towboat Tom Bussler capsized and sank on the Tennessee River near Calvert City, Kentucky. The two crew on board were rescued by the towboat George Leavell. Both crew were taken ashore and transported to a nearby hospital.
The Coast Guard has dispatched a vessel to monitor the wreck. Reports state the Tom Bussler had some 4100 gallons of diesel fuel on board at the time, but there has been no signs of pollution released.
The 23 meter long, 189 dwt towboat Todd Brown partially sank on the Mississippi River near Columbus, Kentucky. Details of the sinking have not yet been reported, but the vessel had over 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel along with hydraulic oil and lube oil on board at the time. An environmental response team is on site and has placed a boom around the vessel. No details yet reported if pollution has been released, but Kentucky and Missouri authorities along with the Coast Guard are engaged in monitoring the situation.
The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.