PORT ARTHUR, Texas - The Unified Command, consisting of the Texas General Land Office, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Eagle Otome's owner, opened the Sabine-Neches Waterway to limited traffic today after moving the tank vessel Eagle Otome to the Sunoco oil terminal in Beaumont Tuesday evening.
The first vessel to transit the waterway since the oil spill occurred transited the Sabine-Neches Waterway today, and additional traffic is scheduled for this evening.
"The Unified Command has been working closely to get the waterway back open as safely as possible," said Coast Guard Capt. J.J. Plunkett, captain of the port and federal on-scene coordinator for the response. "We are doing everything we can to provide much-needed relief to the region's four large refineries."
Three tugs escorted the Eagle Otome, while two boats carried boom to prevent further spillage and a fire fighting barge was on scene to prevent any fires. Two pilots were on board the ship to further ensure its safe transit to Beaumont.
Crews began unloading the Eagle Otome's remaining 570,000 barrels of oil from the ship's undamaged cargo tanks at approximately 4 a.m. today.
An estimated 462,000 gallons of crude oil were spilled into the waterway as a result of the collision between the Eagle Otome and the Dixie Vengeance, which was pushing two barges. Unified Command responders have recovered an estimated 534, 000 gallons of oil/water mixture. They continue to work in the waterway to recover the remaining oil.
Lightering operations for the barges that were being pushed by the towing vessel Dixie Vengeance, as well as the tank vessel Eagle Otome were completed Monday night.
Six oiled birds have been reported - a cormorant, two pelicans and a heron are being treated and cleaned. One cormorant and one kingfisher were found dead.
65 vessels are on scene, including skimmers, barges and boats deploying boom.
61,850 feet of boom has been deployed.
The Texas Responder and the Gulf Coast Responder, both 210-foot oil recovery vessels, are on scene.
More than 899 people are responding.
Approximately 9 miles of shoreline were impacted by the spill.
No injuries have been reported.
To report oiled wildlife please contact 1-888-709-9798. The public should not attempt to capture any oiled wildlife.
A claims number has been established for this incident. To report a claim, please call 866-310-3831.
The Coast Guard is conducting a joint investigation with the NTSB into the incident, and all parties are fully participating.
]]>PORT ARTHUR, Texas - The following information contains recent updates from Jan. 25, 2010 regarding the Port Arthur oil spill.
No injuries have been reported.
To report oiled wildlife please contact 1-888-709-9798. The public should not attempt to capture any oiled wildlife.
A claims number has been established for this incident. To report a claim, please call 866-310-3831.
The Coast Guard is conducting a joint investigation with the NTSB into the incident, and all parties are fully participating.
PORT ARTHUR, Texas - At 12:17 a.m. Sunday, the Dixie Vengeance and two barges were separated from the Eagle Otome and moored on the east bank of the Sabine Neches Waterway. The Unified Command continues to respond to the spill, ensuring the safety of the public and minimizing environmental impact. Currently 11 skimmers are conducting operations and air monitoring is on-going.
A collision between the towing vessel Dixie Vengeance with the two barges it was pushing, and the 807-foot tank ship Eagle Otome, resulted in damage to the Eagle Otome, which was loaded with crude oil. The current estimate of spilled oil is 420,000 gallons.
The Sabine Neches Waterway is closed to all vessel traffic along the City of Port Arthur's river front from Intracoastal Waterway mile marker 278 to Mesquite Point on the Sabine Neches Waterway. The Coast Guard has established a perimeter around the vessels in the vicinity of the reported spill to ensure the safety of the vessels involved as well as the safety of the responders.
No injuries have been reported.
Resources on scene include:
A claims number has been established for this incident. To report a claim please call 866-310-3831.
The Unified Command has established a wildlife rehabilitation number. To report injured or oiled wildlife, please contact the wildlife rehabilitation unit manager, Rhonda Morgatroyd at 409-719-5074. The public should not attempt to capture any oiled wildlife.
The Coast Guard is conducting a joint investigation with the NTSB into the incident, and all parties are fully participating.
]]>PORT ARTHUR, Texas - The Coast Guard and agency partners have formed a Unified Command in response to an oil spill in the Port of Port Arthur, Saturday.
Vessel Traffic Service Port Arthur received notification at 9:30 a.m. reporting a collision between the towing vessel Dixie Vengeance and the two barges it was pushing, and the 807-foot tank ship Eagle Otome. As a result of the collision, the Eagle Otome sustained damage in the vicinity of the number one starboard tank, which was reported to be loaded with crude oil. The initial estimate of spilled oil is 450,000 gallons.
The Sabine Neches Waterway is closed to all vessel traffic along the City of Port Arthur's river front from Intracoastal Waterway mile marker 276 to mile marker 289. The Coast Guard has established a perimeter around the vessels in the vicinity of the reported spill to ensure the safety of the vessels involved as well as the safety of the responders.
No injuries have been reported.
The investigation to the cause is on-going.
Additional resources on scene include:
3 contracted boom vessels
4,000 feet of boom deployed with 10,000 feet of boom available Coast Guard Cutter Manowar 4, 25-foot Response Boat-Small from Coast Guard Station Sabine Pass Coast Guard Air Station Houston MH-65C helicopter crew
]]>