The Houston Ship Channel was closed to all traffic Monday after two ships, including one carrying toxic chemicals, collided into each other at a narrow spot near the foggy entrance.
The tanker Carla Maersk and the Liberian bulk carrier Conti Peridot struck about 12:30 p.m. near the community of Morgan's Point on the shores of Galveston Bay.
The 600-foot Danish-flagged Carla Maersk was carrying about 216,000 barrels of MTBE, a fuel additive, while the 623-foot Conti Peridot is a steel carrier, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
Officials believe the collision caused a breach in three of the containers storing the MTBE. The leak has since been secured, officials said. The amount of MTBE that leaked was not immediately known.
"They're still (checking) the tanks to determine how much has been spilled," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Amanda Emery.
There were no reports of any injuries from the collision.
Coast Guard officials said the hole in the ship remains but any remaining MTBE is below the waterline and doesn't pose a risk. The leak lasted about two hours.
The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to investigate. According to a statement by the Coast Guard late Monday, the Barbours Cut Terminal will not open as normally scheduled at 7 a.m. Tuesday, as a precautionary measure.
"We want to make sure the ships are safe to actually move," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Andy Kendrick.
The collision prompted a shelter in place for the few hundred people living in Morgan's Point. The residents there were warned to remain inside and not use their air conditioners.
The concern was because of the MTBE from the Carla Maersk. The fuel additive is a colorless liquid with a distinctive anesthetic-like odor, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is used to raise the oxygen content of gasoline to help it burn more completely and reduce harmful emissions.
Officials are conducting air monitoring tests in the area.
"The air monitoring is going to tell us how much of a saturation there is," Kendrick said.
In most cases, after a fuel spill the Coast Guard will lay floating barriers around the lost material to prevent it from spreading. But officials said that isn't the best course of actions for Monday's incident.
"Our primary concern is the toxicity of the vapors," Kendrick said. "The toxicity and the flammability would go up if you try to boom it off."
Coast Guard officials said both ships were anchored in the area where they collided.
Officials with the Maersk Line could not be reached for comment later Monday.
The Associated Press reported that records show the Conti Peridot was built in 2011 and left Panama Feb. 27 for Houston. It previously had been to Shanghai, China. The Carla Maersk, built in 1999, left Venezuela Feb. 7, arrived in Houston last Wednesday and was headed back to Venezuela.
It was the second ship collision in the channel in less than a week. No pollution and no injuries were reported last Thursday when a 445-foot tanker and 892-foot container ship bumped about 15 miles up the channel from Galveston.
(Source: www.chron.com)
Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Dustin R. Williams/Coast GuardPhoto By Petty Officer 3rd Class Dustin R. Williams/Coast Guard
Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Dustin R. Williams/Coast Guard
Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Dustin R. Williams/Coast Guard
Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Dustin R. Williams/Coast Guard
Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Dustin R. Williams/Coast Guard