Sunken Towboat Spills Fuel Near Columbus

A towboat that sank last week on the Mississippi River has leaked some fuel, but Coast Guard officials say the spill has been contained.

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday that salvage crews are preparing to raise the vessel Todd Brown out of the water near Columbus, where it sank on April 17. Officials say about a hundred gallons of diesel fuel was spilled into the river. SWS Enviromental Services reportedly contained and collected the spilled fuel, and salvage crews secured the source of the discharge.

Shoreline assessments have been conducted and crews observed no signs of pollution. There are currently no restrictions to commercial or recreational vessel traffic due to the incident.

The vessel had a total of about 17,500 gallons of diesel fuel, 150 gallons of lube oil, and 150 gallons of hydraulic oil on board when it sank.