A tank barge leaks fuel oil following a collision with a bulk carrier, March 22, 2014 in the Houston Ship Channel. U.S. Coast Guard Photo
A ship-to-ship audio recording released by the U.S. Coast Guard to the Houston Chronicle has provided some new insight into the moments leading up to the March 22 “Texas Y” collision in the Houston Ship Channel, causing some 168,000 gallons of a heavy bunker fuel to spill into the channel and Gulf of Mexico.
In the audio recording, you can hear a Houston pilot onboard the inbound MV Summer Wind bulk carrier warn the captain of the Kirby Inland towboat, MV Miss Susan, which was pushing barges carrying nearly 1 million gallons of oil, as it tried to cross the busy Texas Y intersection ahead of the bulk carrier.
“I’m looking at everything. I’m fixing to start to cross the intersection down to Bolivar. How do I look to you?” the Miss Susan captain said.
“Well, if you keep on going I’m going to get you,” a Houston pilot aboard the Summer Wind responded. “Because right now I’m about three quarters of a mile from you and you haven’t got to the channel yet.”
“All right, well (expletive). I’m glad I called,” replied the Miss Susan’s captain. And it goes on from there.
The MV Summer Wind struck the lead barge, breaching a tank and resulting in what has been called Texas’ worst inland oil spill in decades.
Have a listen and let us know what you think in the comments:
SINGAPORE, April 24 (Reuters) – Demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to power ships will rise this year on attractive prices, while more dual-fuel vessels join the global fleet, industry executives said....
ROME (Reuters) – An Italian judge on Friday cleared three migrant sea rescue charities that had been accused of abetting irregular immigration in complicity with human traffickers, throwing out a case opened...
(Bloomberg) — The closure of one of the East Coast’s busiest ports after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has so far not led to broad price increases,...
April 19, 2024
Total Views: 2193
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.