Spill Recovery Continues at Jamie Whitten Lock

The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing to respond to a crude oil discharge that is contained within the Jamie Whitten Lock at mile marker 412 on the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway.

Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley responded to a call on Sunday that crude oil was discharging from a damaged barge owned by Savage Inland Marine. The damaged cargo tank on the barge had an estimated capacity of 321,000 gallons of crude oil. The estimated amount released and contained in the Jamie Whitten Lock is 117,000 gallons; the remaining capacity was removed from the barge.

E3 Environmental has been contracted to contain and recover the spill. Five vacuum trucks, seven skimmers, over 75 personnel from 11 different federal and state agencies as well as emergency management response contractors are on scene conducting 24-hour oil recovery operations. The crude oil is contained within the lock and dam, and within the 40 feet of boom placed around the dam.

Involved in the response efforts are:

•    Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley
•    Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Nashville
•    Coast Guard National Strike Force
•    National Transportation Safety Board
•    T&T Salvage
•    Savage Inland Marine Services
•    Army Corps of Engineers
•    Mississippi Environmental Management Agency
•    National Response Corporation
•    E3 Environmental 
•    Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health

The Sector Ohio Valley captain of the port closed the waterway from mile marker 410 to mile marker 414 on the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.