Oil spills into the Ohio River after boat overturns

NEWELL, W.Va. (WTRF) — Officials are on the scene of an oil spill in the Ohio River after a boat overturned.

Crews at the scene say a dredge boat on the river overturned near Newell, West Virginia, around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Officials say the vessel carrying the fuel can hold anywhere from 10 to 13,000 gallons and at this time they don’t know how much has spilled into the Ohio River.

The company that owns the vessel, Tri-State River Products, has contacted a private company to assist in the cleanup. The U.S. Coast Guard and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection are investigating the situation, and no environmental impacts are known at this point.

A curtain boom has placed around the dredger, and a river salvage company is also on scene. The U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Unit in Pittsburgh has been called out to assess a situation.

The Coast Guard is working to determine how the incident occurred and how much damage was caused.

Officials say no authorities in West Virginia were notified when the incident happened, but Newell and Chester Fire Departments have been dispatched.