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NEW ORLEANS, The Reuters World Service : Crews were working on Monday to refloat and move the grounded freighter that slammed into a popular shopping mall on the banks of the Mississippi River last month, the Coast Guard said.
More than 100 people were injured when the M/V Bright Field, carrying 64,000 tonnes of corn, lost power and ploughed into the Riverwalk shopping strip on Dec. 14. Coast Guard officer Patrick Cuty told Reuters the freighter will be moved 18 miles (30 km) downriver for repairs in a 90-minute operation.
Since the accident, tugs have held the freighter in place against the damaged wharf. The bow of the ship had been aground on the Mississippi River bank beneath the Poydras Street Wharf near the city's historic French Quarter.
By 11 a.m. CST (1700 GMT), three hours after crews began pumping out 1.5 million gallons (6 million litres) of water that had flooded the forward cargo hold through a massive gash in the hull, the ship was beginning to float, Cuty said.
He said the ship's power had been restored but eight tugs were standing by to assist it. The river will be briefly closed to traffic as the crippled 735-foot (224 metre) freighter is backed away from the wharf and barges are moved in to help support the sagging Riverwalk.
Engineers and heavy equipment were on standby in case the collapsed sections of the structure and a parking garage shift when the vessel is moved, Cuty said.
A Coast Guard Board investigation is still working to determine the cause of the accident.
[01-06-97 at 12:54 EST, Copyright 1997, Reuters America Inc.]
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