The Houston Ship Channel could remain under one-way travel restrictions for all this week after a collision took place between a deep-draft ship and a barge. Because of the collision, petrochemicals were spilled into the waterway.
According to the US Coast Guard an unknown amount of product has been spilled from the barges, with sources reporting that the amount is about 9,000 barrels.
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Because of the accident, the Houston Ship Channel closed from Light 61-75, but local media reported that the Channel partially reopened to ship and barge traffic on May 12.
However, Reuters reports that the USCG has limited travel to one-way traffic, as barges are blocking part of the channel. Currently, efforts are ongoing to remove the barges from the channel, an operation that could last all the way into the weekend.
Namely, the damaged barges are located in a heavily trafficked area of the channel, affecting everyone.
What is more, officials plan to finish siphoning fuel from the first barge by May 14 and then start emptying the capsized, second barge. This is considered a difficult operation, as emergency workers will have to cut through the hull of the second barge to offload its fuel.
US Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have also started an investigation into the incident.
