Mississippi River Reopened To Tows Following Barge Accident

The U.S. Coast Guard said it reopened the Mississippi River to some shipping traffic on Friday following a midweek barge accident near Thebes, Illinois, that had closed the major shipping artery early on Wednesday. Vessels with a smaller-than-normal number of barges in tow will be allowed to pass through a safety zone between river mile markers 40 and 44 during daylight hours, only via one-way traffic, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Southbound tows hauling 15 barges and northbound tows hauling 20 barges were allowed to pass on Friday, down from 30 or more normally, shipping sources said.