On July 4, 2023, about 1808 local time, the towing vessel Kitty was pushing two loaded tank barges through the Algiers Lock near mile 88.4 on the Lower Mississippi River in New Orleans, Louisiana, when the lead barge, EMS 317, struck one of the lock gates. There were no injuries, and no pollution was reported. Damage to the barge was negligible, while damage to the lock gate was about $2 million.
We determined that the probable cause that the probable cause of the contact of the barge EMS 317 with Algiers Lock Gate D was surging water within the lock chamber, which was likely caused by the wakes from three deep-draft ships passing the lock forebay in quick succession during extreme low water conditions on the Mississippi River.
