Following the incident of collision between a fishing vessel and a chemical tanker, the USCG issued an update informing of the suspension of search and rescue operations for the two fishermen missing and reporting of a spill that has been observed on the scene.
Specifically, it is reported that about 500-feet of containment boom has been placed around the fishing vessel Pappy’s Pride that capsized following a collision with Odfjell’s chemical tanker Bow Fortune on January 14, 2020 in Galveston Texas.
Also, the USCG stated that they observed sheens of unrecoverable product have been reported in the vicinity of the capsized vessel and the maximum potential of the release is 14,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund has been accessed to contract a local recovery organization to conduct clean-up of any recoverable product that has entered the water and remove any threat of pollution from the vessel
… the USCG stated.
Also, the coast guard will proceed to salvage operations for the “Pappy Pride”.
The Coast Guard added that a “temporary safety zone has been established for waters near Galveston Bay Entrance Channel within 300-yards of the sunken fishing vessel. Vessel Traffic Service Houston-Galveston has directed no meeting or overtaking, with wake and surge considerations given for vessels transiting on the Houston Ship Channel between lighted buoys 7 and 9“.
In the meantime, the coast guard informed the suspension of search operations for the two missing, commenting that “it is never an easy decision to suspend a search“.
