Search for missing barge shuts down section of Ohio River

U.S. Coast Guard officials have shut down several miles of the Ohio River in Allegheny County as they continue searching for a missing barge that is presumed to have sunk.

The search comes after a group of 26 barges broke loose late Friday night, causing extensive damage to two Pittsburgh marinas, and then some of the barges collided with and fell over the Emsworth Dam.

All but one of the barges have been accounted for and 25 are in process of being moved to a staging area, said Lt. j.g. Eyobe Mills of the Coast Guard marine safety unit in Pittsburgh.

The unaccounted barge is presumed to have sunk, said Mills. It contained coal, he said.

“We are confident that it sank, if not it would be easy to find,” he said.

A safety zone has been established between the Emsworth Locks and Dams and the Dashields Locks and Dam, located in Edgeworth borough. The dams are about seven miles apart.

Vessels traveling through the safety zone must get approval from the Coast Guard, Mills said.

“We don’t want a vessel going through and then accidentally hitting a sunken barge,” Mills said. “Our main priority is safety.”

The average depth of the Ohio River is about 24 feet, according to the National Park Service.

Mills said the owner is responsible for salvaging the barge.

The barges are owned by Campbell Transportation Co. They were located on the left bank of the Ohio River, just downstream from the West End Bridge, before breaking loose.

It’s unclear how the barges broke free. Gary Statler, Campbell Transportation’s senior vice president for river operations, said on Saturday that the company is investigating the matter.

A request for comment was not returned from Campbell Transportation.

On Saturday, 11 barges were pinned against the river bank by Brunot Island and were being held by a towboat, police said.

Another 14 barges continued to float down the river, with eight being lodged against the Emsworth Lock and Dam and six others traveling over the dam toward the Dashields Lock and Dam.

One of the loose barges hit the Sewickley Bridge, which was shut down Saturday afternoon as the vessel approached. PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said an inspection revealed no significant damage, and the bridge was reopened to traffic, according to the Associated Press.

Two marinas on Pittsburgh’s North Side — Peggy’s Harbor and Branchport Boat Club — were damaged Friday night as barges destroyed dozens of boat docks.

Peggy’s Harbor’s owner’s said the damage was extensive, and the marina is in the process of communicating with Campbell Transportation. The marina has no comment beyond that.

Calls to the owners of Branchport Boat Club were not returned.