Oil Spill in the Houston Channel

A massive oil spill clean-up operation shut down the Houston Ship Channel for the second day on Sunday, blocking dozens of ships. An oil barge with a 900,000-gallon tank collided with a ship on Saturday and spilled up to 168,000 gallons.

Clean-up efforts managed on Sunday to transfer all the oil from the barge and are moving it out of the Houston Ship Channel.

“This is an extremely serious spill,” Coast Guard Captain Brian Penoyer said during a press conference late on Saturday. “This is a persistent oil. It’s a large quantity. It will spread. People should be aware of that.”

  RT

"Extremely serious spill," not because marine life is endangered, like in the Gulf - who cares about that - but because the Houston port deals in billions of dollars of commerce.

Authorities have closed the channel in order to contain environmental damage and avoid any additional collisions, the Coast Guard said. The decision has blocked the movements of more than 60 vessels between the Gulf and Galveston Bay, among which are three cruise ships.

Hey, Galveston used to be the major port before the Houston ship channel was built. If their receiving docks are not too outdated or dilapidated, perhaps the island could score a coup. No, I expect this is one oil spill that will be cleaned up in record time.