HOUSTON (Reuters) - The Coast Guard partially reopened a 9-mile (14.48-km) section of the flooding Mississippi River near Baton Rouge, which had been shut since Friday following the sinking of three barges, a spokesman said Monday afternoon.
Ships may now move one at a time north through the section of the river, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough. No ships were waiting to move north.
The Coast Guard is preparing a plan to reopen the river to southbound traffic, Colclough said. A total of 27 vessels were waiting to move south as of Monday afternoon.
The Mississippi is the key waterway for U.S. grain exports. About 60 percent of U.S. grain exports go down the Mississippi from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico.
Eight Louisiana refineries dependent on the river to bring crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico and to move refined products into the Gulf were not affected by Monday's closure.
The Coast Guard was reviewing a salvage plan to raise three barges that sank in the river on Friday, Colclough said.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
