Americas News
USCG Reopens Houston Ship Channel After Fire and Bunker Spill
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) says the Houston Ship Channel was reopened at 3:31 p.m. Tuesday following a fire and bunker spill from a 810-foot tanker, the Aframax River.
As Ship & Bunker reported yesterday, the Houston Ship Channel was closed in a more than one mile section after the vessel's bunker tank was punctured and caught fire.
"This incident could have been much worse, but was mitigated due to the prompt and effective response of two Port of Houston Authority fire boats," said Captain Peter Martin, Captain of the Port and commander of Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston.
"Additionally, environmental response experts from the Texas General Land Office and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were critical to assessing and mitigating the pollution threat while Harris County Sheriff's deputies enforced the federal safety zone to ensure public safety."
USCG says that the tanker was believed to be carrying as much as 90,000 gallons of low sulfur diesel in the bunker tank before it was breached.
However, much of the fuel that came out of the ship is noted to have burned up, leaving a "light sheen" in the water by morning, as well as small pockets of recoverable fuel near the shoreline.
The USCG says it is overseeing OMI Environmental Solutions' cleanup and response operations, and has begun an investigation to find the cause of the incident.
As Ship & Bunker has reported, Aframax River is understood to be owned by Hellenic Tankers Co. Ltd (Hellenic Tankers), trading within the Navig8 Tankers Aframax pool.
