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Traffic moves across the Mississippi River bridge in Vicksburg, Miss., Tuesday evening, Dec. 18, 2012.

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Coast Guard: oil removed from barges, river reopened

Updated: Saturday, 02 Feb 2013, 6:16 PM CST
Published : Saturday, 02 Feb 2013, 6:16 PM CST

VICKSBURG, Miss. (WALA) - The Coast Guard has reopened the Mississippi River to north and southbound towboat traffic following the completion of oil removal operations, officials said Saturday.

Authorities reduced the safety zone to one mile centered on either side of the two barges that crashed into a bridge near Vicksburg, Miss. with no passing or overtaking within the zone.

“The Coast Guard is no longer actively managing the flow of towboat traffic and we are minimizing the safety zone to a one-mile distance to ensure the safety of response crews still working on the MOC-12 barge,” said Capt. William Drelling, Federal On Scene Commander for the Vicksburg oil spill.

A press release Saturday said the light crude oil product in the tank barges MOC-12 and MOC-15 was effectively removed to complete damage assessments and temporary repairs to prepare them for transit to a waiting marine facility.

The barges will be moved following approval of a transit plan, said officials.