PORT ARTHUR, Texas — As much as 450,000 gallons of crude oil might have spilled in a southeast Texas port when two vessels collided Saturday morning, but it is unclear whether that much actually leaked from the damaged tank, a U.S. Coast Guard official said.
No one was injured in the collision, but the Port of Port Arthur was closed, and some nearby residents were evacuated for about seven hours.
According to Petty Officer Richard Brahm, the ship’s crew members said they pumped 69,000 barrels from the damaged tank that carried 80,000 barrels, so they have 11,000 barrels — about 450,000 gallons — that they can’t account for. Several local officials said only 1,000 barrels, or about 42,000 gallons, of oil had been spilled into the water. Brahm acknowledged that it doesn’t look as if hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude is in the water. He said some might still be in the damaged tank. The Associated Press; Photo: Houston Chronicle
