The Coast Guard was allowing limited traffic on the Mississippi River on Monday after 98 miles from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico were closed because of a massive fuel oil spill.

No timetable has been set for the complete reopening of the river, but Coast Guard officials said clean-up efforts were moving faster than expected and, so far, about 45 ships were allowed to navigate the river.

Officials from CARNIVAL CORPORATION said the Carnival Fantasy will likely return to New Orleans on Thursday. The ship sailed from the Mobile Alabama Cruise Terminal while New Orleans was off limits.

The oil slick was caused by a barge colliding with a tanker about one-fourth of a mile upriver from New Orleans’ cruise terminal.