Ship and Oil Barge Collide in Houston

By The Maritime Executive 03-22-2014 06:18:00

The US Coast Guard, along with state and local partners, is responding to a collision near Texas City, in the Houston Ship Channel, that occurred on Saturday.

At approximately 12:35pm, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston/Galveston received a call from the captain of the 585-foot bulk carrier Summer Wind, reporting a collision between the Summer Wind and a barge, containing 924,000 gallons of fuel oil, towed by the motor vessel Miss Susan.

The motor vessel Miss Susan was transiting from Texas City to Bolivar at the time of the collision. Kirby Inland Marine, owner of the motor vessel Miss Susan and the barges, activated its emergency response plan immediately and is working in a unified response with the Coast Guard and the Texas General Land Office, which are on scene.

A sheen of oil has been reported on the water, but the quantity of product released is unknown at this time. The six crew members of the motor vessel Miss Susan are all accounted for and are in stable condition.

Marine traffic in the Houston Ship Channel from the Intracoastal Waterway to lighter buoy 32 has been temporarily suspended for the safety of the responders.