Crews will continue working today to salvage a barge, owned by Peavey Barge Lines of St. Louis, from the bottom of the Mississippi River.
Lt. Mark Emmons of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Division in Paducah, Ky., said ice on the river caused the barge to sink Feb. 9. It bottomed out on a sandbar, its top visible over the water.
Peavey had to submit a plan to the Coast Guard for approval, Emmons said, outlining when and how the barge would be removed. In some cases, the Coast Guard stops or restricts river traffic, but the location of the barge in this case made restrictions unnecessary.
When companies don't have the money to salvage barges, the Army Corps of Engineers does the work and bills barge owners.
A Peavey employee declined to comment about the removal and said the company never speaks to the press about internal affairs.
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