Houston (Platts)--27Aug2012/1159 am EDT/1559 GMT

A stretch of the Mississippi River near Greenville, Mississippi, is still closed for dredging Monday after barges were grounded and refloated Sunday afternoon, the US Coast Guard said Monday morning, leaving a queue of vessels in both directions totaling 54.

"The segment of the river is still closed from mile marker 524 to 526," said Petty Officer Ryan Tippets with the Coast Guard's 8th District.

The US Army Corps of Engineers is performing dredging operations, which started Sunday afternoon, after barges with a tug were refloated, Tippets said.

"We're hoping the dredging operations will be done today, but we're not sure exactly when," Tippets said.

At 9:25 a.m. CDT (1425 GMT), 24 northbound vessels and 30 southbound vessels were backed up at the closed section of the river, Tippets said. He said he did not have information as to what the refloated barges were carrying.

The lack of rain in some parts of the country's midsection has caused drought conditions and lowered water levels along parts of the Mississippi River, leading to intermittent closures.

The Mississippi River is a major artery for US commerce and is used to ship a variety of commodities on barges, including fuels and grains.

--Meera Patel, meera_patel@platts.com --Edited by Jason Lindquist, jason_lindquist@platts.com

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