(Reuters) - A collision involving two barges on Thursday night resulted in a small oil spill near Baton Rouge, Louisiana on the Mississippi River, the United States Coast Guard said.

A barge crossing the river hit a stationary barge, resulting in a spill of four to eight barrels of oil, Coast Guard Commander Quincy Davis said on Friday.

Vessels in the area were being instructed to slow down but the waterway remained open to shipping, he added.

(Reporting by Robert Campbell; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Dale Hudson)