by Emily Flitter (Reuters) - More than 22,000 barrels of oil, refined fuels and chemicals spilled at sites across Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, along with millions of cubic feet of natural gas and hundreds of tons of other toxic substances, a Reuters review of company reports to the U.S. Coast Guard shows. The spills, clustered around the heart of the U.S. oil … [Read more...]
Kirby to Pay $5 Million for Houston Ship Channel Oil Spill
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...]