Tank barge and tug grounded off Galveston

The US Coast Guard (USCG) said that the tug Peter F Gellatly and barge Double Skin 504 grounded after drifting from their anchorage and across the Houston Ship Channel.

The barge was empty at the time of the incident and all six crew members of the tug are safe and in communication with its owners and the coast guard. There are, 6,000 gallons of waste oil on the barge stored in smaller tanks in the upper portion of the barge.

USCG said that response crews were waiting for tidal conditions to improve before refloating the vessel which could happen as early as Tuesday afternoon.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.