Spills

New orleans, louisiana

Lebeouf Towing Company; New Orleans, Louisiana · NOAAORR-6614

issued
1988-09-10 00:00Z
status
cancelled 1988-09-24 00:00Z
self-cancels
1988-09-24 00:00Z
authority
NOAA OR&R
sea
Gulf of Mexico
position
29.959, -90.052
vessel
BARGE ELLEN · 2 messages
source
incidentnews · first seen 2026-09-03 15:09Z

Original warning text

LeBeouf Towing Company; New Orleans, Louisiana.
New Orleans, Louisiana.
1. At approximately midnight on September 10, 1988 during Hurricane Florence, a LeBeouf Towing Company tugboat was attempting to move four barges loaded with Louisiana sweet crude oil into the Mississippi River. The tugboat and barges were separated during the height of the storm. Two of the four barges were grounded on the jetty adjacent to the Mississippi River outflow area at light number 61 (approximately 45 miles east-southeast of New Orleans). Barge B-15 was stranded on the jetty as storm-surge waters receded. Barge Ellen was aground by her starboard bow on the same jetty. Both barges were damaged and leaking. The combined load carried by the two barges was reported as 17,000 barrels of Louisiana crude; 3,000 barrels were lost. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office (MSO), New Orleans, was notified of the spill later that morning and launched a surveillance overflight that [...]
2. COMMODITY: LOUISIANA CRUDE. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 126000 GALLONS.
3. POSITION 29.959N 090.052W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 6614: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/6614

This area · spills & pollution incidents

1074 within 180 nm since 1970 · 36 in the last 12 months · 2 in force now

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Timeline · 4 messages since 1988-09-03 · closed 1988-10-15

  1. Mississippi river, louisiana1988-09-03 → 1988-09-17
  2. At approximately midnight on september 3, 1988, the esso puerto rico, newly loaded with carbon-black…1988-09-03 → 1988-09-17
  3. New orleans, louisiana this message1988-09-10 → 1988-09-24
  4. In late september 1988, approximately 100 barrels of sweet crude oil leaked from an m&v production company…1988-10-01 → 1988-10-15

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Nearby now · within 120 nm

Worldwide now

8 spills & pollution incidents in force · see all

Spills

Oil and chemical spills, groundings and vessel casualties with a pollution threat: NOAA IncidentNews responses since 1957, and spill-response areas broadcast as navigational warnings. All current spills & pollution incidents

Not for navigation. This is a re-rendering of an official navigational warning for awareness; mariners must use official NAVAREA broadcasts and their national MSI service.