Houston Texas Ship Channel Closed Due to Oil Spill

On Saturday, March 22, almost exactly 25 years after the infamous Exxon-Valdez oil spill caused tremendous economic and environmental damage, a barge carrying over 900,000 gallons of especially heavy, tar-like oil collided with the tanker Summer Wind in Galveston Bay. As a result of this collision, an estimated 168,000 gallons leaked into the water. At about 12:30pm on Saturday, the Coast Guard received a call from the captain of the Summer Wind, the ship that collided with the barge. At the time of the accident, the barge, which is owned by Kirby Inland Marine, was being towed from Texas City to Bolivar. Six Galveston crew members of the tow vessel were reported injured but in stable condition and the oil spill is having an economic impact on local businesses. Jones Act and maritime laws will help protect the rights of the injured seamen and an industrial accident attorney can help businesses file claims for economic losses. Clean-up efforts began shortly after the accident was first reported. Kirby Corp., which operates Kirby Inland Marine, is voluntarily paying for the clean-up. Hundreds of workers, operating oil-retrieving vessels, have descended into the bay to deal with the spill. Pressure is especially high because of the threat the oil poses to migratory birds. This incident unfortunately occurred at the height of the migratory shorebird season, making a rapid and effective response imperative if environmental disaster is to be avoided. By Sunday, oil was reported about 12 miles off of the coast. The Houston Ship Channel was closed for a second day, leaving dozens of ships waiting for permission to enter or leave as the authorities halted traffic at the busiest gulf coast port. The Coast Guard sent out a warning that portions of the Ship Channel and other nearby waterways might be closed for the rest of the week. On Monday morning, the Coast Guard announced that the shipping lane would probably be reopened by the end of the day, but they unexpectedly reversed this statement by Monday night, acknowledging that it would need to remain closed longer than anticipated. As of Monday night, there were over 90 ships waiting for the channel to reopen, with no definitive answer as to when regular operations might resume. Meanwhile, parts of Galveston Island have also been closed to the public, and the ferry between Galveston and Bolivar has been closed. The Coast Guard cannot allow normal traffic to resume until the oil is cleaned up, or it will cling to ships. Any ship that has had contact with the oil must first be cleaned before it is permitted to leave the affected area. Also on Monday, the economic fallout of the collision began to spread, with Exxon-Mobil announcing that it was cutting production at its Baytown refinery, the second largest refinery in the nation. Despite Exxon's decision, most experts are not worried about serious economic fallout, as there is enough inventory in this region to mitigate the effects of a temporary delay in production. None of the many other refineries in the area have announced plans to reduce their production as of Monday night. It is anticipated that sea side property owners and local Galveston businesses will experience economic losses and seamen who have been injured while on the job have certain rights codified by the Jones Act of 1920. Injured seamen are permitted to make claims against ship owners, captains and other crew members due to negligence with the help of a work injury attorney. Because of this unfortunate collision, industrial accident and Jones Act attorneys are able to fight for compensation on behalf of the affected parties of the Galveston Bay oil spill.