Cleanup begins on N.O. oil spill

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) - The owner of the barge that spilled about 420,000 gallons of industrial fuel in the Mississippi River near New Orleans contended Thursday that the company was not to blame for the accident, but said it will be responsible for the cleanup.

Paul Book, vice president of operations facilities for American Commercial Lines Inc., said at a news conference that divers were assessing the barge as it lay against a bridge pier.

"We have reports of oil that is bubbling, coming from the bow and the stern compartments," he said at a news conference attended by several government officials. V-shaped booms containing skimmers have been placed below each compartment to collect and siphon off the oil, he said.

"We have high hopes that that will stop the release ... coming from the barge," Book said.