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Vessels stranded at the Port of Houston by bunker spill

Vessels stranded at the Port of Houston by bunker spill
Up to 75 vessels are stranded either in or outside the Port of Houston after a major bunker oil spill  has closed the shipping channel since Saturday.

The 17 m-wide channel, which runs between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula, is a key route for the supply of oil to local refineries. As of last night, 40 vessels which were waiting to leave the Port of Houston and the 35 waiting to call there are blocked, with the US Coast Guard stipulating that the channel could remain shut until the end of the month, “until clean water is assured” according to a statement by US Coast Guard Capt. Brian Penoyer at a Texas City press conference.

As much as 160,000 gallons of oil may be been spilled after bulk carrier Summer Wind collided with a barge loaded with 924,000 gallons of bunker oil near Texas City. So far, the remaining oil has been pumped from the partially-submerged barge, and 24 vessels have been deployed skimming the water’s surface with absorbent booms to stem the slick.