Domestic Marine Casualties: Ship Channel and Mississippi River

Coast Guard Re-opens Section of Ship Channel

Known as one of the nation’s most valuable commercial waterways, a three-mile stretch of the Houston Ship Channel’s 52 miles has been re-opened for slow-speed traffic after an oil spill on Friday.

The channel was closed between Old Manchester Dock Three and City Dock 27 after a 458-foot vessel, owned by W.O. Ship Management, struck Buffalo Barge No. 251 attempting to turn around and spilling more than 10,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil.

One of the vessel’s fuel tanks was damaged allowing oil to leak for more than 4 hours out of a gash that was 5 feet above water.

Port of Houston officials say the spill had a minimal impact on operations since the tainted area is much less traveled than sections closer to Galveston Bay. However, a handful of vessels on either side were delayed and five docks remain closed.

Traffic was restricted to slow-moving ships, tugs and barges and only barges during nighttime, as cleanup crews from five agencies continue to work. More than 4,200 gallons have already been removed.
 

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Lower Mississippi River Re-opens for Commerce
 

After being blocked by an oil tanker that ran aground, the lower mouth of the Mississippi River’s channel has been restored for commerce.

Eagle Tucson, an oil tanker owned by Malaysia’s American Eagle Tankers Inc., ran aground near Pilottown, La. carrying 602,000 gallons of crude oil on its way to Chalmette from Puerto Jose. A response boat from Coast Guard Station Venice arrived on scene and detected no evidence of pollution.

The Coast Guard employed tugboats to assist the vessel and is allowing those vessels with drafts of 35 feet or less to transit one at a time through the area.

The tanker remains grounded at Mississippi mile marker three at Head of Passes.