Chemical Tankers Collide Off Galveston

Bow Kiso, via FleetMon

Two chemical tankers inbound toward Houston collided in the early morning on Wednesday, approximately 70 miles south of Galveston according to a report by the US Coast Guard.

At approximately 4:30 a.m watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston/Galveston were notified of the incident involving the Chem Sea, a 385-foot, Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, and the Bow Kiso, a 557-foot, Panamanian-flagged tanker.

The Bow Kiso suffered a fuel leak in their engine room, according to the report, but was able to patch the leak and pump the remainder of the fuel into an auxiliary tank.

In a phone conversation with the Houston Pilots this afternoon, they note that none of their pilots were involved in the incident.

The Coast Guard launched crews aboard an HU-25 Falcon jet from Air Station Corpus Christi and an Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to assess the situation. 

The Bow Kiso is owned by Chemical Clipper Transports S.A., a subsidiary of Odfjell, and managed by V Ships.  The Chem Sea is owned by Ace Tankers, based in The Netherlands.