Major shipping channels in southeast Texas remained shut this morning after a Saturday collision between a cargo ship and an oil barge resulted in a 4,000-barrel oil spill in Galveston Bay. Booms have been deployed to contain the spill, which occurred when the 585-foot Summer Wind collided with a Kirby Inland Marine barge that was carrying nearly 1 million gallons of oil. Officials told the Associated Press only one of the ship’s tanks was breached, but that tank had a capacity of 168,000 gallons. Officials fear the spill could impact wildlife habitats near the Houston Ship Channel, as peak migratory bird season is approaching.
The Coast Guard on Sunday warned that parts of the channel and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway could remain shut until March 29. It remains to be seen how the channel closure will affect refinery operations along the channel. ExxonMobil representatives today told Reuters its Baytown refinery had not yet been affected.
Afternoon Update: ExxonMobil officials are now saying that the spill will affect production at the Baytown refinery, but no specifics have been given thus far. No other refining companies had publicly announced production declines as of Monday afternoon.
