A stationary barge used for storage and boat maintenance sits tipped on its side in the Mississippi River near Robert Street and Fillmore Avenue outside downtown St. Paul.
The barge, which appears to be resting on the bottom of the river with its far end about five feet under water, is owned by Upper River Services, the St. Paul harbor operator. The structure, which tipped on Monday, has been secured with cables to the barge wall to keep it from shifting further, and supplies from its maintenance depot have been removed.
Harbor officials called the situation more irksome than worrisome, noting booking a diving operation to assist with surfacing the structure could take a week or more.
Barge traffic on the river, which is seasonal, isn’t expected to resume for another month.
“This has been stationary for decades,” said Lee Nelson, president of Upper River Services, on Friday. “We don’t know what happened other than with the warm up there was plenty of ice flowing. We assume something hit something. We aren’t sure because we haven’t gotten it up yet. We’ve dealt with any potential issues. We’ll bring in a dive team when they’re available and we’ll get it back up again. … Right now we’re hoping the end of next week maybe.”
The last Mississippi River barge of 2025 departed St. Paul in November, ending that year’s Upper Mississippi shipping season. The 2026 season is expected to resume March 15.
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