March 9, 2024 - Crews were busy Friday afternoon after 10 barges broke loose from their towing vessel Friday afternoon.

Coast Guard Lt. Steve Leighty said the coal barges broke away from the towing vessel after exiting the McAlpine Lock and Dam at 4 p.m.

On Saturday morning, Leighty said the remaining recovered barges were pushed up out of the channel into a fleeting area.  

U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service Louisville has started coordinating with the Army Corps McAlpine Lockmaster to allow traffic to resume. 

Initially, eight of the barges became trapped by the 14th Street Railroad Bridge west of downtown Louisville, and Leighty said two of them partially sank by the lower dam gates next to the LG&E hydroelectric power plant.

He said there are currently four vessels downbound and two vessels upbound in the queue. There are two sunken barges, one on the bank of the Indiana side of Shippingport Island, and one near the 14th Street Railroad Bridge. 

"These are not in the channel and will not affect vessel traffic," he said. 

Leighty noted that there are also two partially submerged barges in the McAlpine lower dam gates.  

The Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers L&I Railroad and local industry are working on the incident Leighty said. He added the Coast Guard has issued a Special Marine Information Broadcast.

Salvage operations will begin once salvage equipment arrives on scene. 

Leighty said the railroad bridge has been inspected, and there is no damage.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation.