Oil, LPG tankers remain stuck by Houston spill

Dozens of ships remain in limbo along the Houston Ship Channel for a third consecutive day as the US Coast Guard continues to clean a chemical spill from Intercontinental Terminals' (ITC) storage facility in Deer Park, Texas.

The closure of a section of the waterway is preventing the passage of 62 vessels — 31 trying to come into the port and 31 trying to depart — including oil tankers, LPG tankers, and dry bulkers, the Coast Guard told Argus today.

Included in that group are seven oil tankers: the Eagle San Juan, Stolt Effort, Stolt Teal, Bow Performer, Sea Ruby, and the Silver Rotterdam; and three LPG tankers: Legend Prosperity, Albert, and Sumire Gas, according to Argus vessel tracking. These vessels are located to the west of the spill, near Tucker's Bayou.

A section of the ship channel from Tucker's Bayou to light 116 has been closed since 22 March, when a mix of chemicals and fire retarding foam spilled into the water when a dike surrounding storage tanks that had been burning earlier in the week gave way. A spill cleanup effort is underway using dozens of ships.

Vessel traffic has begun to loosen up slightly today. One ship has moved through the spill area inbound today, while another has been boarded inbound, according to shipping agency Moran Shipping. Another vessel sailed outbound, passed the spill area, and headed to a decontamination berth. By around 3:30pm ET ships with freshwater drafts under 34ft will start moving outbound, but will be inspected for contamination before being allowed to continue, according to Moran.

Oil facilities inside the spill area include Houston Fuel Oil, Jacintoport, Vopak, and ITC. The Houston Pilots plan to prioritize outbound sailings from the port, once ships are deemed able to move through the spill area without contamination, said Moran.