Over 100 Cargo Ships Await Clearance Of Mississippi Shipwreck

[hatrack]

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, February 25, 2004 (ENS) - The wreckage of the offshore supply ship Lee III lies stuck at the bottom of the Southwest Pass at the mouth of the Mississippi River 50 miles south of New Orleans. Salvage crews are working to move the wreck that is blocking the only entrance to the river for large oceangoing vessels.

The 178 foot long Lee III sank Saturday after a collision with the container ship Zim Mexico III in dense fog. Five crewmen were lost. To date only three have been found, and only one body has been recovered.

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The Coast Guard and Port of New Orleans officials have given no time estimate for when the channel, one of the busiest in the world, will reopen. “If this closure is prolonged, the negative impact would be widespread and devastating to the United States economy,” LaGrange said. “A delay of only a day or two will impact when cargo arrives at distribution centers. A prolonged closure could impact the price consumers pay for goods.”

Currently, there are 51 vessels waiting to transit northbound and 52 waiting to transit southbound through the pass, according to the Coast Guard. The vessels waiting are primarily bulk and container ships."

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http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=29728

[jmcgowanjm]

1. Getting bigger

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2004-02-25-gasprices_x.htm

[jmcgowanjm]

2. From a recent DU post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x386702