Houston Ship Channel Reopened After Collision

The Houston Ship Channel fully reopened today at 8:35 a.m. The channel had been closed since Monday, when the oil tanker Carla Maersk and bulk carrier Conti Peridot collided due to foggy weather. There were no injuries, but a breach in the Carla Maersk caused the MTBE she was carrying to leak into the water.

During the channel closure, the unloading of goods and other economic activity was sustained, but vessels could not enter or leave the 50-mile Houston Ship Channel. According to the Greater Houston Port Bureau, there were 43 ships waiting to leave and 47 ships waiting to enter when the channel reopened.

The Coast Guard crews completed the transfer of the cargo from the Carla Maersk and then moved the vessel to another location early Thursday morning. The Carla Maersk, which had been carrying around 216,000 barrels of MTBE, experienced extensive damage from the collision. The flammable vapors from the tanks were suppressed with high-density foam, and the Coast Guard has continued its vigilant air monitoring. There has been no sign of vapors coming out of the ship.

According to the Galveston Bay Foundation, there have been no reports of fish or bird deaths as a result of the spill.