Cargo ship that blocked mouth of Mississippi is moved

PILOTTOWN, La. – The Coast Guard says a ship loaded with coal that had run aground near the mouth of the Mississippi River has been moved and the river partially reopened.

The news release Friday says the Coast Guard has reopened the river at mile 3.5 near the community of Pilottown to vessels with a draft of 30 feet or less. They said there were no reports of pollution or injuries.

The agency learned Friday morning that the United Kingdom-flagged Anglo Alexandria had run aground and was blocking the navigation channel.

They said there were more queued-up vessels than normal because the area’s been very foggy for days.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Lora Ratliff says the cargo ship is carrying coal to New Orleans. The cause of the grounding is being investigated.