Vujasinovic & Beckcom Blog

Ships backed up as Texas waterway remains closed from oil spill

13 ships waited to exit and 13 waited to enter the Sabine-Neches Waterway on Sunday. It remained closed during cleanup operations of a 460,000 gallon oil spill from a collision between a tanker and a tug and tow in Port Arthur on Saturday.

The Coast Guard said the Waterway would remain closed until the cleanup was completed. How long that would take was unclear, although Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said “I think it’s a matter of days not weeks.”

The Sabine-Netches Waterway is a 60 mile long man-made channel that runs parallel with the Sabine River which marks the boundary between Texas and Louisiana. The area is home to four major refineries that make up 6.5 percent of U.S. capacity.

11,000 barrels spilled into the water from the northbound 807-foot Malaysian flagged tanker Eagle Otome after it collided with a southbound barge near a Valero refinery. Though the vessel carried 80,000 barrels, most of them were pumped out.

12 people were voluntarily evacuated from their homes in a precautionary move and were back in their homes later the same day.

Booms and skimmer boats are being deployed to protect a nearby lake that is a breeding ground and wildlife management area.

Most of the cleanup cost is reportedly to be paid by AET Tankers, owner of the ship.

Investigators with the Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the collision.

Source: Reuters