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Collision Causes Crude Oil Spill In Port Arthur, Texas

Sunday, 24 January 2010 03:28
By ANGEL GONZALEZand NAUREEN MALIK The oil tanker Eagle Otome, left, sits docked at the Port of Port Arthur after it collided with a vessel towing barges Saturday. HOUSTON—A collision between an oil tanker bound for Exxon Mobil Corp.'s Beaumont refinery and an outbound vessel towing barges resulted in a major crude oil spill in the port of Port Arthur, Texas on Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard says about 450,000 gallons of crude oil has spilled into the Port of Port Arthur area in southeast Texas after two vessels collided. Video courtesy of Fox News. The U.S. Coast Guard said that the towing vessel and the two barges it was pushing tore a hole on the side of the 807-foot tanker Eagle Otome at about 9:30 a.m. CST, spilling an estimated 450,000 gallons of crude oil, or about 11,000 barrels. The Sabine Neches Waterway is closed to all vessel traffic along Port Arthur's river front, the Coast Guard said in a news release. An Exxon Mobil spokesman said in an email that the incident involved vessels chartered by Exxon Mobil subsidiary companies, and that the amount of oil that spilled from the Eagle Otome was "undetermined. "The vessels involved are reported to be in stable condition," spokesman Kevin Allexon said in an email to Dow Jones Newswires. Workers are seen trying to contain crude oil that spilled after the collision. The Port Arthur waterway was closed to both incoming and outbound traffic pending further assessment of the situation, the U.S. Coast Guard said. "Exxon Mobil is very concerned about this unfortunate incident. The vessels we charter to transport our products meet rigorous safety standards," the Exxon statement said. Exxon said the tanker, owned by Malaysia-based AET Incorporated Ltd., was carrying crude destined for the company's 348,500-barrels-a-day refinery in Beaumont, Texas. The Coast Guard, which has established a perimeter around the spill, said it is investigating the causes of the accident. A U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said that the ruptured compartment in the tanker held about 80,000 barrels of crude, and the crew was able to transfer 69,000 barrels elsewhere. "This is a big one," said Petty Officer Third Class Richard Brahm. No injuries reported among the crews of the vessels. Petty Officer Third Class Brahm said that the Port Arthur waterway was closed to traffic for the clean-up operation. He couldn't specify how long it would take for emergency crews to clean up the spill or re-open the channel, or the number of vessels waiting to come in. He said that on an average day, 150 barges and 15 tankers pass through the waterway. "It's definitely going to impact the economics around here," he said. Port Arthur, located about 90 miles east of Houston, is home to key fuel-producing facilities such as the 275,000-barrel a day Motiva refinery, jointly owned by Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Saudi Arabian Oil Co; Total SA's 174,000 barrels a day refinery, and Valero Energy Corp.'s 310,000-barrels-a-day refinery. Valero spokesman Bill Day said in an email that the spill is having "no impact" on the company's Port Arthur refinery. The refinery has offered emergency equipment to the U.S. Coast Guard, and is "standing by to help," Mr. Day said. Motiva and Total haven't replied to requests for comment. Exxon said it does not anticipate an impact to operations at its Beaumont refinery. The Port Arthur spill can be described as large, according to the classification established by the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd., which tracks oil spills around the world. According to the ITOPF, large spills are those that are over 700 metric tons. The size of the Port Arthur spill is estimated at about 1,500 metric tons. The spill is the second to afflict the Texas coastline recently; in October, a supply vessel crashed against a Liberian-flagged oil tanker offshore of Galveston, resulting in an 18,000 gallon oil spill—equivalent to about 429 barrels of oil or 58 metric tons. Exxon, the largest U.S. oil company by market capitalization, has struggled for years to dispel the shadow cast by the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. That incident resulted in the release of nearly 11 million gallons of crude in Alaska's Prince William sound, sparked a multiyear legal battle, and cost the company about $1 billion in punitive damages plus interest. Petty Officer Third Class Brahm said that local law enforcement had evacuated about 28 blocks surrounding the spill area due to the higher-than-normal sulfur content in the crude, but that as of Saturday evening "they've all been let back into their homes." The smell of sulfur--similar to rotten eggs--hasn't spread beyond the original perimeter, he said. Write to Angel Gonzalez at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and Naureen Malik at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Last Updated on Sunday, 24 January 2010 03:31

Crowley Cargo Lightering Operation Successful Today in Port-au-Prince

Saturday, 23 January 2010 03:36

Crowley Cargo Lightering Operation Successful Today in Port-au-Prince Clears way for container shipments directly to the damaged port next week.
Barges and cranes being mobilized for temporary docking and cargo ops in the port.

(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.; Jan. 22, 2010) Crowley Maritime Corporation, working under contract with the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), successfully discharged 12 20-foot containers of relief supplies across a beach in Port-au-Prince, Haiti today in an experimental lightering operation. The success of this operation, which involved lifting the containers from a Crowley container ship anchored in the harbor to a smaller, shallow-draft landing vessel for transport and discharge over the beach, paves the way for container shipments directly into Port-au-Prince next week.

"Today's operation was an important milestone in reestablishing direct container shipments into the heavily damaged port," said John Hourihan, Crowley's senior vice president and general manager of Latin America services. "The port survey conducted Monday by a team from our TITAN Salvage subsidiary was spot on in terms of identifying a suitable location in the port where we could safely discharge the cargo."

"USTRANSCOM values the innovative solutions that our contractors are implementing to rapidly facilitate humanitarian assistance in support of the Haitian people," said Army Brig. Gen. Michael Lally, director of operations for the command.

The Crowley container ship Marcajama, which offloaded the containers today, is scheduled to return to Port Everglades, Fla. over the weekend and load more relief cargo under contract with USTRANSCOM. The ship will then return to Port-au-Prince in the middle of next week and discharge containers via the proven lightering method utilizing two shuttle vessels.

Future cargo operations in the port should improve substantially in the coming weeks. Crowley is mobilizing two 400-foot-long, 100-foot-wide flat deck barges, along with two Manitowoc 230-ton crawler cranes in the United States for USTRANSCOM that will be brought into Port-au-Prince to serve as a makeshift dock for future cargo operations. The first barge and crane in Orange, Texas should arrive in Haiti on or about Feb. 4. The second deck barge is being outfitted in Lake Charles, La. and will arrive by mid-Feb.

"The diverse resources of the Crowley organization are being brought to the table in response to this emergency," Hourihan said. "We are working closely with USTRANSCOM, USAID, FEMA and other organizations to provide the assets, services and technical expertise they need to accomplish their missions."

Relief cargoes are being consolidated and stuffed into containers at Crowley's Miami warehouse and distribution center. Containers delivered by Crowley in Rio Haina, Dominican Republic this week are being trucked over the border into Haiti. And more shipments - 179 20-foot containers and 11 40-foot containers for USTRANSCOM - are due in Rio Haina Sunday morning.

"The combination of direct shipments into Port-au-Prince and shipments into Rio Haina that are then trucked over the border is now resulting in a steady flow of aid," said Hourihan.

While Crowley has suspended its regularly scheduled commercial cargo services to and from Haiti, a Crowley customer service group has been formed to answer questions and assist the shipping public interested in getting relief goods into Haiti. All inquiries should be made to 1-800-490-3321, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Due to the unstable situation in the country, no relief cargo bookings will be accepted without being qualified by this Haiti Team customer service group.

"We believe our two methods of delivery into Port-au-Prince (lightering containers offshore and over-the-road trucking via Rio Haina) will soon allow Crowley to start accepting relief cargoes from non-government parties," said Tucker Gilliam, Crowley's general manager for Haiti and the Dominican Republic. "We continue to offer twice weekly service to and from the Dominican Republic for regular commercial cargoes.

Those wishing to contribute humanitarian supplies to Haiti's relief effort should do so by contacting non-profit organizations such as Food for the Poor or Catholic Relief Services.

Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding company of the 118-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a privately held family and employee-owned company. The company provides diversified transportation and logistics services in domestic and international markets by means of six operating lines of business: Puerto Rico/Caribbean Liner Services, Latin America Liner Services, Logistics Services, Petroleum Services, Marine Services and Technical Services. Offered within these operating lines of business are the following services: liner container shipping, logistics, contract towing and transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage and emergency response through its TITAN Salvage subsidiary; vessel management; vessel construction and naval architecture through its Jensen Maritime subsidiary; government services, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales. Additional information about Crowley, its subsidiaries and business units may be found on the Internet at www.crowley.com.

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