On May 5, 2025, about 0957 local time, the towing vessel Myra Eckstein, with a crew of 10 on board, was pushing 25 barges downbound on the Lower Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Mississippi, when the lead barge on the starboard side contacted a fixed pier of the Vicksburg Highway 80 Bridge at mile 435.8. As a result of the contact, five barges broke away; four were recovered, and one sank. There were no injuries, and no pollution was reported. Damage to the barges was estimated at $941,000.

​​We determined that the probable cause of the contact of the Myra Eckstein​ tow with the Vicksburg Highway 80 Bridge was the captain’s inability to overcome the effect of high-water and high-current conditions on the tow and correct the tow’s track, which was closer to the river’s right descending bank than recent downbound tows, as the tow approached the bridge.