Towing Vessel Sinks In Pass a Loutre, Channel Remains Blocked

As of late in the day April 18, Pass a Loutre, one of the smaller outlets of the Mississippi River southeast of Pilottown, La., remained closed following the sinking of the mv. Dejeanne Maria four days prior.

Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received word about 2 a.m. April 15 that the mv. Dejeanne Marie, part of Boothville, La.-based Denet Towing Service Inc.’s fleet, had struck a submerged object in the channel and sunk.

The Dejeanne Maria was headed downriver at the time, pushing two empty dry-cargo barges, according to a Coast Guard incident report. Three crew members aboard the Dejeanne Maria took shelter on a nearby vessel, the Supporter 1, according to the report. The Dejeanne Maria was submerged but visible in the channel, with its port side above the water.

The Coast Guard reported there was a maximum of 7,000 gallons of oil on board the Dejeanne Maria, with a reported 60 gallons released. ES&H, the contracted oil spill response company, deployed boom around the Dejeanne Maria and conducted a drone flyover. Neither ES&H nor the Coast Guard observed an active discharge of oil during flyovers.

The incident remains under investigation.