AP Photo/ David J. Philip
Galveston, Texas - An early estimate suggests that up to 2,000 gallons of oil might have spilled into nearby waters following a barge collision near Galveston, Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard reported on Thursday.
The incident occurred when a barge carrying fuel broke free from a tugboat and collided with a bridge supporting the Pelican Island Causeway on Wednesday. The crash resulted in a partial collapse of the bridge, severing the only road link between Galveston and Pelican Island, according to the Coast Guard.
Video footage showed oil patches in Galveston Bay. Jeff Davis from the Texas General Land Office stated at a news conference on Thursday that initial cleanup efforts had not detected any affected wildlife.
The barge, with a capacity of 30,000 barrels, was carrying 23,000 barrels (around 966,000 gallons) at the time of the crash, said Rick Freed, vice president of Martin Marine, the company operating the barge. Freed added that only one tank, containing approximately 160,000 gallons, was compromised in the collision, representing the total potential risk.
"We are confident that significantly less oil entered the water than initially estimated," said Coast Guard Capt. Keith Donohue. "We have recovered over 605 gallons of an oily water mixture from the environment, along with an additional 5,640 gallons of oil from the top of the barge that did not enter the water," Donohue added.
The Coast Guard earlier deployed a boom to contain the spill, leading to the closure of about 6.5 miles of the waterway.
The incident happened because the 321-foot barge detached from the tugboat due to a coupling break, the Coast Guard explained. "Weather was not a factor in the coupling issue," Freed noted. When asked for more details about the disconnection, he stated that it was under investigation and couldn't disclose further information until the investigation concluded.
The barge remained next to the bridge on Thursday, weighed down by debris, including rail lines that fell onto it during the crash.
The bridge, crucial for road access between Galveston and Pelican Island, was closed to incoming traffic. However, vehicles leaving Pelican Island and pedestrians could still cross.
Texas A&M University at Galveston, located on Pelican Island, advised staff and faculty to leave and announced the campus's closure, though essential personnel were to stay. The university said it would relocate all Texas A&M Pelican Island residents until at least Sunday.
Fewer than 200 people associated with the university were on the island during the incident. University spokesperson Shantelle Patterson-Swanson mentioned that transportation and housing costs for those choosing to leave would be covered, but the university had not issued a mandatory evacuation.
Maria Burns, a maritime transportation expert at the University of Houston, suggested that the region might not face significant economic disruption from the spill. The affected area is distant from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a busy barge traffic route, and the Houston Ship Channel, a major shipping lane for ocean-going vessels.
This accident comes only weeks after a cargo ship crashed into a support column of the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, resulting in the deaths of six construction workers.
