Vessel Traffic Service Houston News

Responders have called off a search for two fisherman missing following a fatal ship collision near Galveston, Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday.One crew member has been rescued, one is deceased and two remain missing at the conclusion of a three-day search involving the Coast Guard and local responders that covered more than 49 square miles by aerial flights, shore patrols and maritime searches.“It is never an easy decision to suspend a search," said Cmdr. Jordan Baldueza, Sector Houston-Galveston search and rescue mission coordinator.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew located the body of the missing tug boat crewman from the capsized Ricky J Leboeuf near the location of the tug on the San Jacinto river Tuesday at 9:47 a.m. The Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew located the man's body and directed rescue boats to his location, which was a few hundred feet downstream. They recovered the unresponsive man's body and transported him to EMS. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service Houston restricted waterway traffic on the San Jacinto at 8:42 a.m. Traffic is prohibited between the red #2 light and the I-10 bridge.

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port has reopened the Houston Ship Channel from Cotton Patch Bayou to Sims Bayou after a precautionary safety zone had been put in place due to an explosion at Pasadena Refining System, Inc., Saturday morning. At 10:30 a.m., a Sector Houston-Galveston watchstander observed smoke rising in the sky over the tree-line outside an office window and coordinated with Vessel Traffic Service Houston-Galveston watchstander's, who observed the smoke coming from the facility and found other responders were already enroute. The Captain of the Port closed the channel at 10:40 a.m., until Coast Guard hazmat teams were able to investigate the scene for any impact from possible chemical release in the air or any impact on the waterways.

The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port has briefly closed a portion of the Houston Ship Channel, as coast guard crews and local fire departments responded to a tugboat engulfed in flames, moored at the LyondellBasell refinery, about 2 miles east of Interstate 610, Friday. The tugboat, San Gabriel, was moored next to an empty sulfur barge when it caught fire and the crewmembers were able to evacuate safely, the Coast Guard said. The refinery called Vessel Traffic Service Houston-Galveston watchstanders to report the fire.

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.

The Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee (HOGANSAC) has compiled the first-ever Facility Information Guide for the ports of Galveston, Houston and Texas City. The Guide provides specific navigation information for every facility in the three-port area. Information in the Guide was contributed by terminal owners and operators and organized by staff members at Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service Houston/Galveston. Copies of the Guide are currently available and may be purchased from the Marine Exchange of the West Gulf, Inc. The guide's cost is $16.24 per copy, plus shipping and handling. The Guide is intended to enhance the safety of marine operations in the region by providing important data on channel-side facilities.

Crewmembers of Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Houston-Galveston are investigating the collision between the freight ship Napoleon and a tugboat with four barges in the Houston Ship Channel Monday night. A Coast Guard watchstander at Vessel Traffic Service Houston received the report of the collision via the pilot aboard the Napolean at approximately 10:40 p.m. According to the report the collision occurred while the Napolean attempted to over take the tug Jonathan Thomas, near buoy number 54, while heading out bound in the Houston Ship Channel near Redfish Bar in Galveston Bay. The collision caused the Jonathan Thomas's tow line to brake; setting the barges adrift, injuring one crewmen and damaging one barge and the tug.