Barge collision leaks gasoline in Houston Ship Channel

A barge that was involved in a collision with the tanker ship Genesis River the day before remains in the Houston Ship Channel on Saturday, May 11, 2019, in Pasadena. A barge that was involved in a collision with the tanker ship Genesis River the day before remains in the Houston Ship Channel on Saturday, May 11, 2019, in Pasadena. Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Barge collision leaks gasoline in Houston Ship Channel 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Two large barges carrying thousands of barrels of gasoline were damaged Friday, forcing a portion of the Houston Ship Channel to be closed as gasoline leaked into the water.

A tanker collided with a tug pushing the two barges, each one carrying 25,000 barrels of product, around 3:30 p.m. Friday. One of the barges capsized and the other was damaged, leaking Reformate into the water, according to a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.

A unified command including the Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office and Kirby Inland Marine is set to respond to the collision, the press release said. Air monitoring is being conducted along the shoreline from Sylvan Beach to Kemah.

There have been no reported injuries.

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Reformate is a gasoline that is category 1 flammable and toxic to aquatic life, Port of Houston Spokeswoman Lisa Ashley said. It is unknown how much has been released into the water at this time.

About 40 miles from the coast, multiple Friendswood residents reported smelling a gasoline scent in the city, the city's Emergency Operations Center wrote in an email.

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"The smell within Friendswood is directly related to this incident," the email read. "Air monitoring is in progress within the region and air monitoring crews are being dispatched to Friendswood."

The EOC recommended turning off air conditioners to limit the smell entering homes, and for those with respiratory conditions to avoid outdoor activity.

This is a developing story.

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