Ohio Barge Accident Still Under Investigation

Posted in Barge Accidents,Maritime Accidents,Ohio Maritime News on December 5, 2011

MASON, OH — Early Saturday morning on November 26, four barges, all loaded with coal, broke loose from American Electric Power’s M/V Buckeye State, but only one barge struck the pier as reported by Lt. Jason Coffey with the U.S. Coast Guard stationed in Huntington. The Coast Guard is still conducting its investigation as to why the barge struck the pier.

The M/V Buckeye State is one of AEP’s fleet of larger vessels.

Luckily no cargo was lost therefore no cleanup was required. According to Coffey as of Monday afternoon, Nov 28, the barge was still docked along the West Virginia side of the riverbank near the bridge.

The Daily Sentinel reports:

There were no injuries reported as a result of the incident, though the Bridge of Honor was closed for several hours Saturday morning, allowing teams with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to inspect the structure to ensure it was structurally sound. As reported earlier, T. Steve Williams, PE, deputy director with ODOT District 10, said the barge struck a “glancing blow” to the pier which wasn’t determined to be significant or put the public safety in jeopardy by reopening the structure. It seemed the most significant impact on the public were traffic delays on Saturday morning.