Tanker Blaze Shuts Part of Houston Ship Channel

A burning tanker in the Houston Ship Channel on Monday prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to close a two-mile-long (3.20-km-long)section of the largest petrochemical port in the United States.

The fire was extinguished nearly 90 minutes after it started, but the channel remained closed as firefighters monitored the air to ensure no toxic fumes lingered, Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Kendrick said.

"Initially it was a big fire, but it came down pretty quickly," he said.

Kendrick confirmed that the tanker was loading ethylene when the fire started, and said no injuries had been reported. Ethylene is a chemical used in making plastic.

He said a few outbound ships were waiting to move, and a tugboat was waiting to go further into the channel.

The closure could temporarily hold up crude oil deliveries to three refineries - Valero Energy Corp's 100,000-barrel-per-day and LyondellBasell Industries NV's 263,776-bpd Houston refineries and Petrobras' 100,000-bpd Pasadena plant.

Flames were seen shooting from the tanker Navigator Europa, moored outside the Targa LPG export terminal, according to a source and Reuters vessel tracking data.

A representative for Targa Resources Corp did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.



(Reporting by Liz Hampton, Kristen Hays, Erwin Seba and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Bill Trott and Jonathan Oatis)