Barges Remain Pinned On Dams Following Upper Ohio Breakaway

Barges remained pinned against both Emsworth and Dashields locks and dams, and a sunken barge was located nearly a week after a 26-barge breakaway on the upper Ohio River that also damaged marinas and docks.

The Coast Guard reported that, at about 11:30 p.m. April 12, the mv. Miss Ivy Brynne of Campbell Transportation Company was at Mile 1 on the Ohio River when 26 hopper barges broke away in high water following intense rainstorms that had passed through the Pittsburgh area. Twenty-three of the barges contained coal, and the remaining three were empty, Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Randisi said.

While no injuries or pollution were reported, the barges  reportedly damaged both Peggy’s Harbor Marina and Branchport Boat Club, with 60 to 70 slips lost at Peggy’s Harbor Marina and around 90 at Branchport. The McKees Rocks Bridge and a train bridge to Brunot Island were both closed for hours after the breakaway, though neither were damaged.

Carol Vernon, chief of public affairs for the Pittsburgh Engineer District, said nine barges came to rest at Emsworth Locks and Dam, with one of those later sinking and another breaking away due to river conditions. Eleven barges were secured by a tugboat at Brunot Island.

Four barges passed through Emsworth Locks and Dam and went over Dashields Locks and Dam in Moon Township, Allegheny County, before they were retrieved and secured. One was pinned against the dam at Dashields.When one barge was initially unaccounted for, the Coast Guard established a safety zone and suspended all navigation between Mile 6.2 and Mile 13.3 on the Ohio River, between Emsworth and Dashields. The zone was lifted April 16 when the sunken barge was located at Ohio River Mile 10.5.

The Coast Guard then issued an advisory saying that vessels approaching the area should engage in single-direction passing, favoring the left descending bank until further notice. Additionally, ongoing salvage operations continued to take place between Mile 6 and Mile 13.5. Concerned traffic may reach out to Marine Safety Unit Pittsburgh at 412-670-4288. The Coast Guard is also monitoring VHF channel 16.

Vernon reported April 16 that Campbell Transportation Company had safely removed five of the seven barges at Emsworth Dam.

“The operation went smoothly and safely and was coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard and Pittsburgh District,” she said.

One barge remained pinned against the dam at Dashields.

“We will continue to implement our recovery plan for the remaining affected vessels, at all times taking into consideration the safety of the recovery workers, the public and the barges,” Gary Statler, Campbell Transportation Company’s senior vice president for river operations, told local media.

High water persisted on the Ohio throughout the week, with the Coast Guard captain of the port issuing a safety advisory due to high water/high flow conditions at Dashields with the upper gauge reading greater than 20 feet as of April 17.

The advisory recommended that fleeting facilities review and act in accordance with their waterfront fleet operations guide and any company contingency plans; assign a person to be in continuous surveillance and to observe the barges in the fleeting areas; double up lines on the head of the fleet and provide an adequate number of spring and breast lines between the dock and the barges and the fleet; and review their need to secure towboat assistance.

“Mariners are advised to transit with caution,” the advisory said.