Louisville, Ky.-A barge lost a full load of liquid nitrogen in a mishap that occurred while being pushed up the Ohio River, according to the Coast Guard. It was one of four in a 14-barge fleet that broke loose after clearing the McAlpine Locks around 1 a.m. on Jan. 16, reported Lt. Tina Owen, spokeswoman for the Coast Guard’s Ohio Valley sector. There were no injuries, and there has been no disruption to river traffic. She said the fertilizer barge was carrying 1,451 short tons of liquid urea and that there were concerns about fish kill, but there have been no reports to that effect so far. "Apparently the high waters have either diluted or washed away the fertilizer," she told Green Markets. Two of the barges have been secured, but the fertilizer barge ended up pinned and partly submerged against Gate 2 of McAlpine Dam – but out of the commercial channel, where it would not interfere with river traffic. The fourth barge, which was carrying salt, is submerged and has been marked with lights and a buoy so as not to present any hazard. Owen didn’t know the owner of the fertilizer shipment or its destination.
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