Houston Ship Channel closed after tanker collision causes leak of volatile gasoline additive

The Houston Ship Channel remains closed after acollision between two ships, but the shelter in place has been lifted.

The Houston Ship Channel is still closed following a collision yesterday between two ships.

The ship channel is expected to remain closed until the U.S. Coast Guard has the situation under control. Officials at LaPorte Command did not have a timeline because one of the ships was carrying a dangerous chemical that is not easy to clean.

A shelter-in-place that had been in effect for residents in Morgan's Point was lifted overnight.

Captain Brian Penoyer says just after 12:30pm Monday, two ships -- a Danish flagged Carla Maersk chemical tanker carrying 216,000 barrels of MTBE and a Liberian flagged Conti Paridot bulk carrier with steel on board -- moving at significant speeds collided. Methyl tert-butyl ether is a gasoline additive used as an oxygenate and to raise the octane number. It is a volatile, flammable, and colorless liquid that is sparingly soluble in water.

The U.S. Coast Guard says its immediate response to the area was to assess any risk of fire or explosion from vapors and human health protection. Coast Guard officials plan to send a chopper this morning after sunrise to survey the area. They couldn't fly yesterday near the Ship Channel because of fog and rain.

Sylvan Beach resident Charlene Smith says she drove home from her medical center job to find emergency vehicles and road blocks.

"I don't smell anything. I'm not too concerned. I'm sure they will get it taken care of. Hopefully it's not too toxic," Smith said.

The U.S. Coast Guard incident commander says they don't know how much if any MTBE may have spilled but they know three tanks are damaged. Weather made afternoon assessment of any sheen on the surface challenging.

© Houston Chronicle

The chemical tanker Carla Maersk sits at anchor off Morgans Point after the crash.

"We are in the process of assessing how much cargo was lost. We are confident there is no continuing release other than vapor," Captain Penoyer said.

"I want everyone to be prepared this is not a chemical that is easy to clean up," Captain Penoyer said.

"The chemical that I understand is pretty toxic. I'm not that familiar with it but hopefully it has pretty high gravity and will float. I've seen the equipment and hopefully they can contain it," Sylvan Beach resident Steven Smith said.

Response teams say they will increase air monitoring in the area to get a good read on toxicity and flammability and will establish a call center for residents in the area.

Chemical sheen on the water was spotted and it is moving north toward Baytown. Officials there have been notified, and recreational boating restrictions for travel have expanded to the north.

The Coast Guard is urging residents to call 911 if fumes can be smelled in their homes.

"I would just let everyone know that's anywhere around the ship channel in this area to just pay attention. Pay attention the TV stations, pay attention to any reports so you know if it's going to be a concern to you or not," said Andy Kendrick with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Officials with two states agencies, the General Land Office and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said they would play a backup role in any cleanup effort, deferring to the Coast Guard for any assistance they may need to provide.

The land office was providing personnel and equipment, spokesman Jim Suydam said. TCEQ could assist with water sampling and monitoring of air quality if the Coast Guard requested it, spokesman Terry Clawson said.

The National Transportation Safety Board also dispatched a team of investigators to the scene, according to an NTSB statement.

Records show the Conti Peridot was built in 2011 and left Panama Feb. 27 for Houston. It previously had been to Shanghai, China. The Carla Maersk, built in 1999, left Venezuela Feb. 7, arrived in Houston last Wednesday and was headed back to Venezuela.

It was the second ship collision in the channel in less than a week. No pollution and no injuries were reported last Thursday when a 445-foot tanker and 892-foot container ship bumped about 15 miles up the channel from Galveston.