River Remains Closed; Clean-Up Continues
The lower section of the Neches River from just north of DuPont plant to the Veteran’s Bridge remains closed as the oil spill clean up continues. "The safety of our responders, and the restoration and opening of the Neches River as quickly as possible are our main goals," said Capt. Sharon Richey, Commanding Officer of Marine Safety Officer Port Arthur and Captain of the Port. "We have more than 175 responders now on scene working to clean the river. The recovered oil is being taken to a holding tank at the local UNOCAL facility, where it will be recycled. The oiled snare boom and adsorbent pads are being stored in roll-off boxes to be disposed of later. Initial clean up costs are estimated to be $700,000. The costs will rise as clean up continues.
Mississippi River Restrictions Lifted
Coast Guard Captain of the Port Captain Sharon Richey, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River, issued an order today lifting the restrictions on vessel traffic transit through the affected area of the Mississippi River at the Interstate 35 Bridge collapse site here. The bridge was closed at mile marker 853.2, due to salvage and debris removal operations. All mariners are urged to exercise extreme caution when transiting this area and to monitor marine channel 16 for future river updates.
Unified Command Established to Oversee Oil Spill
An oil spill is contained June 21, near a crude oil tanker at the Clifton Ridge terminal along the Calcasieu River. The cause of the spill is under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and CITGO Petroleum Corporation. The CITGO Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex, the Coast Guard and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office have established a Unified Command to manage the clean up and recovery of the oil spill in the Calcasieu Ship Channel near Lake Charles. Recovery efforts began Tuesday night after receiving reports of oil in the Calcasieu channel near CITGO's Clifton Ridge Terminal. The recovery operations represent an expansion of activity that began in response to heavy rainfall and partial flooding, which overwhelmed the CITGO's waste water storage tank area and dikes.
Coast Guard Responds to Oil Spill in Lake Charles
The Coast Guard is responding to an oil spill in the Calcasieu Parish Ship Channel, near the CITGO Clifton Ridge Terminal, in Lake Charles, La. CITGO notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Lake Charles Tuesday night of an undetermined amount of oil spilling into the channel. At 3 a.m. today the Coast Guard Captain of the Port, Capt. Sharon Richey, closed the Calcasieu Parish Ship Channel to all maritime traffic between lights 112 and 100. CITGO had been cleaning up a waste-water spill in the Indian Marais drainage, and have now expanded their efforts to include the new spill. The Coast Guard and CITGO are conducting aerial surveys to get a more accurate assessment of the situation. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Barge Salvage Operations Continue
The Coast Guard has reported that response crews are anchoring the barge and plugging ballast tank vents to prevent water from leaking into the cargo tanks. Salvage opperations will continue throughout the night. An underwater survey operations revealed that oil continues to leak from the barge's damaged cargo tank. An over flight this morning revealed a sheen and black patches of oil extending three miles southwest of the barge. While transiting from Houston to Tampa, Fla., the barge struck some debris that gouged a 35-ft. long by 6-ft. wide hole in the starboard bow. There was approximately 300 thousand gallons of oil in the damaged tank. The tank barge DBL 152 was carrying almost 5 million gallons of a thick, heavy petroleum product known as number-six fuel oil.
