USCG partly cleans up Texas oil spill; waterway still closed

25 January 2010 04:02  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--The US Coast Guard (USCG) said on Monday it has recovered about 10% or 46,200 gallons of the crude oil spill near Port Arthur, Texas as of Sunday afternoon.

A collision between a towing vessel - the Dixie Vengeance - with the two barges it was pushing and the 807-foot Eagle Otome on Saturday caused the oil spill that forced the closing of the Sabine Neches waterway to vessel traffic.

The Coast Guard did not say when the waterway, where most of the region’s oil refining and petrochemical capacity is located, would be reopened.

A safety zone established in the waterway now extends from the North Forty at the northern tip of Pleasure Island to Texas Point by the Sabine River jetties, the Coast Guard said.

Winds and strong currents are expected to move the spilled oil south of Mesquite Point over the next 24-36 hours, the Coast Guard said.

The oil tanker was chartered by ExxonMobil subsidiaries and was destined for the company’s refinery in Beaumont, Texas, said ExxonMobil spokesman Kevin Allexon on Sunday.

The tanker was carrying 570,000 bbl of oil at the time of the collision, Allexon said, adding "We don't anticipate any impact to our oil refinery operations."

To discuss issues facing the chemical industry go to ICIS connect

By: Nurluqman Suratman

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly