The floating restaurant-barge Schooner’s suffered water ingress at it’s berth on the Ohio River in Guyandotte, Huntington, West Virginia. A maintenance worker alerted that the barge had suffered a leak and was partially flooded. Cables were ran to hold the barge in place while pump trucks arrived to help pump water from the hull. The cause of the leak was not yet known.
On December 24, the 28 meter long towboat Christina Belcher collided with a sand barge on the Ohio River at mile marker 952 near Joppa, Illinois. The Christina Belcher was pushing two oil barges loaded with 921,000 gallons of crude oil which struck the loaded sand barge. The sand barge filled with water and sank. One of the oil barges sustained damage, but no reports of pollution released. The Coast Guard dispatched personnel to the scene and have launched an investigation into the incident.
The 121 foot long towboat Martha Denton went aground on the Ohio River at Evansville, Indiana. Martha Denton was attempting to make the turn in the river when windy conditions cause the towboat and its barges to run onto the riverbank. An hour later, the Martha Denton and barges were able to be refloated. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released. The Martha Denton continue to proceed downbound on the Ohio with its 15 barges.
