Emergency officials said a possible spill in the Monongahela River on Tuesday afternoon turned out to be oil stirred up from the bottom of the river.
The incident was reported between the Rankin and Homestead Grays bridges, where a tugboat was also stuck after the barges it was pulling turned sideways.
"The wind just pushed the barges out of control of the tug, and they went sideways into the channel ashore," said Allegheny County Emergency Services Chief Alvin Henderson.
People lined up and watched as the operator revved the engines, trying to break free.
"For about 45 minutes he was running the engines hard and trying to pull himself out, and as we watched, he really looked like he was going to make it," said witness Judy Jaquinn.
Henderson told Channel 4 Action News' Andrew Del Greco it didn't appear the tugboat hit anything, and officials were talking with the captain as part of their investigation.
"He's advising us that he does not feel that he has an active leak of any type of diesel fuel or chemical from the one hazardous materials barge unit that's tied onto his tug," Henderson said. "Right now, it looks like the sheen we're picking up on the river might be from just the churning of the motors from him trying to get straightened up into the channel."
Officials said the river current, combined with strong winds, pushed the barges into the river banks.
"There is obviously years of sediment in that silt bed. That's where the oil sheen came, out of that sediment," Henderson said.
By 6:30 p.m., three hours after the barge became trapped, a second tug boat was finally able to pull it out and the channel was reopened.
There were 12 empty barges total, and officials at the scene said one way to help prevent this from happening on another windy day is to use a larger tow boat.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49527739/ns/local_news-pittsburgh_pa/
chicago weather star jones wheres my refund photo of whitney houston in casket carrot top george huguely whitney houston casket photo
No comments:
Post a Comment