IT COULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE!

Barge carrying methanol is removed from Ohio River after being stuck more than a week

Story by Sara Smart • TODAY

A barge carrying methanol has been removed from the Ohio River after being stuck for more than a week.

The barge was one of two that became stuck against the McAlpine Dam near Louisville, Kentucky, on April 28 after they broke loose from a vessel on the river.

Methanol was pumped from the barge Friday. When enough was transferred out, crews safely pulled the barge off the structure, according to a news release from Louisville Metro Emergency Services.

“At no time during the recovery operations has there been any indication that the stranded tank barge’s cargo holds are compromised or that any methanol was release into the environment,” the release says.

Tests since the incident have found no sign of methanol in air or water, officials said.

Methanol is a highly flammable alcoholic chemical compound. It is considered an alternative fuel under the Energy Policy Act of 1992, according to the US Department of Energy. Methanol was used in the 1990s as a transportation fuel but is no longer developed for that purpose, the department said.

Crews will continue to free the remaining barge stuck on the dam. It is carrying corn.

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