The US Coast Guard (USCG) said the accident occurred at 1-20am when two Kirby Inland Marine barges being pushed eastbound by the tug Capt. C Shorty and two Enterprise Marine Services barges being pushed by the tug Jackie collided.
One of the Enterprise Marine barges carrying 1m gallons of naphtha caught fire in the collision.
A Port of Houston firefighting boat was sent to the scene and with the assistance of a T&T Marine Salvage vessel the fire was put out by 5-25am. Three of the barges were damaged in the collision.
“No injuries were reported. At this time, response officials do not believe any significant amount of product was released into the waterway. Air monitoring in the area continues to show no risk to the public,” a statement from the USCG said.
Part of the Intracoastal waterway was closed following the collision but re-opened at 9-15pm.
“The cause of the incident is under investigation. It is unknown at this time if the fire was burning diesel fuel used aboard the barge, or the naphtha product,” the coast guard said.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.
