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NEW YORK, Reuters : U.S. Coast Guard officals said shipping traffic at the Port of New Orleans will remain restricted until at least the end of the week following a freighter accident along the Mississippi River over the weekend.
"I have no expectation that (operations) will be back to normal tomomrow," said Lieutenant Commander Daniel Whiting, chief of port operations for the U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans "Later in the week is the most optimistic estimate I would give."
The freighter Bright Field, 735-foot cargo ship loaded with 64,000 tonnes of corn, lost power and plowed into a waterfront shopping complex on Saturday. The vessel was being held in place against the wharf by tugboats while rescue and salvage operations continued.
Officials were increasingly confident that no one had been killed in the accident. More than 100 people were treated for injuries.
Earlier Monday, New Orleans port director Ron Brinson said the port should be "back to full, normal operations within 24 hours."
But the Coast Guard officials appeared to dispute that claim, saying that ship traffic will probably need to be restricted until the Bright Field is removed.
"We're going to have to continue controlling and likely restricing traffic until the vessel is removed, and that will certainly not be tomorrow," Whiting said.
Since this morning, the Coast Guard has slightly eased restrictions on vessel draft navigating in the vicinity of the accident. Down-river traffic was limited to ships with drafts of 25 feet, up from 20 feet this morning. Up-river traffic was confined to 30-foot draft vessels.
"We're increasing the size of vessels that we are coordinating to navigate through the area," Whiting said. "As vessels get larger it's a bit more touchy."
As the operational delays wore on, congestion in the port area increased. Coast Guard officials would not say how many ships were waiting to enter or leave the port, stating only that the number was "significant".
[12-16-96 at 18:10 EST, Copyright 1996, Reuters America Inc.]
NEW ORLEANS (Reuter) - Restrictions on vessels navigating the Mississippi River near New Orleans were eased again Wednesday, although there were still some delays, following a weekend accident in which a freighter hit a waterfront shopping complex.
The draft limit on vessels navigating the Mississippi River near New Orleans was raised to 42 feet Wednesday, and could be increased to a normal level of 46 feet if no problems occur, Coast Guard officials said.
``The Coast Guard had increased the draft to 42 feet,'' said Cmdr. Ken Parris of the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Office here.
Draft restrictions have been in place since Saturday, when a grain freighter, the Bright Field, lost control and plowed into a waterfront shopping complex near the city's French Quarter. At least 116 people were injured as a result of the collison, but no deaths have been reported.
After closing the port immediately following the accident, the Coast Guard has gradually allowed larger ships to navigate up and down-river in the vicinity of the wreck.
While maritime traffic was permitted in both directions, it was required to alternate between inbound and outbound vessels, and some delays were noted.
Meanwhile, divers continued to search beneath the wreck as the Coast Guard sought to determine how to remove the Bright Field from the river. The freighter was being held in place by tugboats because it was thought to be supporting part of the damaged wharf. REUTER@
[12-18-96 at 19:04 EST, Copyright 1996, Reuters America Inc.]
NEW YORK, Reuters : The Coast Guard on Thursday raised the draft limit on vessels navigating through the Port of New Orleans to 46 feet, as maritime traffic was gradually restored to normal following a weekend shipping accident.
But some shipping restrictions remained in place, Coast Guard officials said, including a ban on simultaneous two-way traffic at the port.
"Right now the river is open to traffic up to 46 feet," said Lieutenant Curtis Shaw, of the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Office in New Orleans. "(Traffic) is in-bound and out- bound, but it is one way at a time," he added.
With the port open to all but the largest tankers, officials said there were no vessels waiting to enter or leave the river late Thursday.
Maritime traffic has been curtailed on the lower Mississippi River since Saturday, when a grain freighter, the Bright Field, plowed into a waterfront shopping center near the heart of downtown New Orleans. More than 100 people were injured in the accident, but no one was killed.
The wharf was heavily damaged in the collision, and the freighter, which was thought to be supporting part of the structure, was being held in place by tugboats.
The Coast Guard said it had yet to determine how it would go about removing the grounded Bright Field from the river. Divers searched the water around the wreck again today, but officials said it could be some time before salvage operations got underway.
"They have to get things shored up," Shaw said. "The boat is going to be sitting there for a while."
[12-19-96 at 17:34 EST, Copyright 1996, Reuters America Inc.]
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