Kirby Inland Marine has agreed to pay $4.9 Million in civil penalties to settle claims stemming from a 4,000-barrel oil spill in the Houston Ship Channel after one of its oil barges collided with a cargo ship in March 2014, the U.S. Justice Dept. and Coast Guard announced Tuesday. The company has also agreed to implement a fleet-wide improvement program, which … [Read more...]
NTSB Report: Captain’s Decision, Lack of Communication Led to 2014 Collision and Oil Spill in Houston Ship Channel
A U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the March 2014 collision between a towing vessel with two barges and a bulk carrier on the Houston Ship Channel has determined that the towing vessel's Captain attempted to cross the Channel ahead of the bulk carrier, impeding the passage of the vessel. At about 1235 CDT on March 22, 2014, the … [Read more...]
NTSB Opens Accident Docket on 2014 Houston Ship Channel Collision and Oil Spill
The U.S. National Transporation Safety Board has opened its accident docket in its ongoing investigation into a 2014 collision in the Houston Ship Channel involving a cargo ship and a tank barge being maneuvered by a Kirby tugboat. On March 22, 2014, the inbound cargo ship MV Summer Wind collided with two-barge tow being led by the Kirby 27706 tank barge and pushed by the … [Read more...]
Houston Ship Channel Spill Exposes Risks in Busy Shipping Lane
By Harry R. Weber and Dan Murtaugh April 4 (Bloomberg) -- By the time the ships’ pilots realized they were on a crash course, it was too late. The fog was just beginning to lift on the Houston Ship Channel midday March 22 as a bulk carrier and a fuel barge found themselves three-quarters of a mile apart. For five minutes, they exchanged radio messages as they tried … [Read more...]
Bridge Audio Recording Reveals Mistakes in Houston Ship Channel Collision
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 … [Read more...]
Coast Guard Reopens Houston Ship Channel in All Directions
By Dan Murtaugh and Barbara Powell March 26 (Bloomberg) -- The Houston Ship Channel, home to the nation’s largest petrochemical complex and export port, reopened all lanes of traffic for the first time since a March 22 oil spill. Voyages are restricted to daylight hours, Captain Clint Winegar, vice president of Houston Ship Pilots, said in a telephone interview. Five … [Read more...]
Ship Operator in Texas Spill on Probation for ‘Magic Pipe’ Pollution Case
By Harry R. Weber and Dan Murtaugh March 25 (Bloomberg) -- The operator of the bulk carrier that collided with a barge carrying fuel oil in the Houston Ship Channel was on probation for a 2011 federal criminal pollution violation. Cleopatra Shipping Agency Ltd. operates the Summer Wind, a 585-foot Liberian flag vessel owned by Sea Galaxy Marine SA, Greg Beuerman, a … [Read more...]