By Prensa Latina,
Washington : The government of Louisiana faces on Friday the worst petroleum spillage of the last decade in the Mississippi River, water artery of southern United States.
A barge and a tanker collided near New Orleans and spilled the fuel that covers around 99 miles along the river.
Even when the tanker did not lose a drop of its load, the barge also had oil and dripped it when sinking.
Cheri Ben-Iesau, Coast Guard Commander, said there have been important spillages in that area but in this case, it is a thick, dirty and hard-to-clean product.
Some ecologists are concerned about the habitat in the mouth of the Mississippi, but authorities gave priority to the protection of the fauna and not many birds covered in oil have died.
The worst consequences are for local economy because the closing of the river to merchant vessels results in a $100,000 loss per day to city income.
The government is paying close attention to the direction residues take, to prevent further complications.
Stream is lesser in some Mississippi delta secondary channels, which may cause a delay in the fuel flowing into the sea and may damage environment.