First Section of Houston Ship Channel Expansion Complete
The Houston Ship Channel expansion project, also known as Project 11, continues to make significant progress. Port officials announced that dredging of the first segment extending from Bolivar Roads to Redfish, known as Segment 1A, is complete. The work was completed on schedule and on budget.Project 11’s Segment 1A constitutes eleven and a half miles in the Bay. The expansion of this area is expected to help increase safety, reduce congestion, and improve vessel transit times…
Poor Communication behind Houston Ship Collision
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the Miss Susan, a shallow draft towing vessel with two barges, and the Summer Wind, a deep draft bulk carrier, collided on March 22, 2014, because the towing vessel crossed the Houston Ship Channel, impeding the passage of the bulk carrier that was transiting inbound, which could only transit within the channel. The collision resulted in the release of 168,000 gallons of fuel into the Houston Ship Channel from the…
Summer Wind, Miss Susan Tow Collision Report
This is a synopsis from the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) report and does not include the Board’s rationale for the conclusions, probable cause, and safety recommendations. NTSB staff is currently making final revisions to the report from which the attached conclusions and safety recommendations have been extracted. The final report and pertinent safety recommendation letters will be distributed to recommendation recipients as soon as possible. to further review and editing. Houston Ship Channel, Lower Galveston Bay, Texas. The visibility was restricted at the time due to fog. The bulk carrier was inbound to Houston, traveling in a north direction. The tow was bound for Port Bolivar on the east side of the Houston Ship Channel, traveling in an east direction.
Houston Ship Channel Closure
On October 4 a tow with three scrap barges hit the west tower of the Baytown high lines at approximately 0600 hrs. The tower was leaning over on the barge with the power cable dangling in the water. VTS Houston closed the channel from Beacon 105 to 124. This area is in the vicinity of ExxonMobil in Baytown. The crane barge Big John is currently hooking up to stabilize the tower following which wires will be disconnected and removed. The channel will be opened for traffic once the wires are removed which is expected to occur in the evening Tuesday October 5. ExxonMobil is open for traffic to/from sea but subject to Coast Guard review. Barbour’s Cut Container Terminal, Bayport, Ports of Texas City and Galveston are open for traffic to/from sea.
Collision Closes Houston Ship Channel
The Bolivar/Galveston, Texas, ferry re-opened at 2:50 p.m. after being closed for seven hours today. Sheening was seen on the water near the Bolivar ferry terminal after approximately 42,000 gallons of alkylate, a gasoline blend component, was spilled into the Houston Ship Channel near Galveston from a collision between two tugs and barges this morning. The Intracostal Waterway is open to one-way traffic. The alkylate, which dissipates very rapidly, came from the #2 and #3 tanks on the port side of the barge MMI 605 being pushed by the Rita M. The barge can carry as much as 1.25 million gallons of the product; approximately 225,311 gallons were in the two damaged tanks. "Little if any environmental impact has occurred at this time," said Richard Arnhart, Texas General Land Office.
Galveston Establishes New Anchorage aAea
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a new anchorage area (designated "C") in Bolivar Roads near Galveston. Anchorage area C is located inside the Galveston Bay entrance jetties and will provide a sheltered place for vessels to anchor. The new anchorage area comes into effect on June 12, 2003. 68 Fed. Reg. 25496 (May 13, 2003). (Source: Haight Gardner Holland & Knight, Maritime Items, May 13, 2003)
Hurricane Rita Waterways Update
The U.S. Coast Guard issued a Press Release updating the status of waterways affected by Hurricane Rita. The port of Freeport is open for all vessel traffic. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is open to tug and barge traffic between the Colorado Locks and the Calcasieu Locks. The port of Galveston and the Galveston Channel are restricted to vessels with drafts of 35 feet or less and daylight transits only. The port of Texas City and the Texas City Channel are restricted to vessels with drafts of 35 feet or less and daylight transits only. Barbours Cut is restricted to vessels with drafts of 35 feet or less and daylight transits only. Bayport and the Bayport Channel are restricted to vessels with drafts of 35 feet or less and daylight transits only.
