Vessels collide in Port Arthur, evacuations ordered

[thewiseguy]

Source: Houston Chronicle

PORT ARTHUR — In what could be one of the largest spills in a regional waterway in some time, about 420,000 gallons of crude oil has spilled after three vessels collided in the Port Arthur area this morning, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Officials contained the spill, but were still assessing the scope and cause. They emphasized that the initial estimate could fluctuate, said Coast Guard Petty Office Renee Aiello.

"This is a significant amount of oil," she said. "If it turns out it is 400,000 gallons, it is quite a significant spill….The response is going to take some time

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6831945.html

[earthboundmisfit]

1. God damn it.

Here's the Channel 11 KHOU link:

http://www.khou.com/news/local/Oil-spill-closes-intracoastal-waterway-after-ships-collide-in-Port-Arthur-82511312.html

Bad shit.

[dmr]

20. More info from OP's link:

Shortly before 10 a.m., a towing vessel named Dixie Vengeance was pushing a barge. Meanwhile, a 600-foot tank ship called Eagle Atome had lost power and the pilot was unable to steer it. The ship collided with the barge causing crude oil to leak, said John Plunkett, port captain in Port Arthur.

At least some of the remaining crude oil on the Eagle Atome, owned by AET Tankers, was transferred off the ship, Aiello said. The ship can hold up to 3 millions of crude; officials did not know how much crude was on the ship or how much, if any, crude remained on board.

The tank ship and barge are still engaged, she said.

Responding to the spill are two 25-foot response boats, an 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter, Manowar, a helicopter from Houston and extra manpower from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Port Arthur police reported an evacuation of a six-by-five-block area because of a leak of hydrogen sulfide, said patrol sergeant Chris Segler. He was unsure how many people were evacuated, but said most of the area was unoccupied.

City officials opened a shelter at St. John’s, a church in the 500 block of 53rd St.

[onethatcares]

2. three vessels collided, how do 3 freaking vessels collide?

do they pay for harbor pilots or has that been outsoursed to the lowest bidder?

[Merchant Marine]

12. Looks like bank suction

This sort of thing can happen easily with big ships in small channels if the OOW isn't careful.

Look at this shot of the collision.
http://www.kfdm.com/sections/article/gallery/?pic=6&id=36299#

The Otome was coming towards the bottom of the shot, and the barges were heading towards the top. The Otome got too close to the bank of the channel and her stern got sucked in, throwing her bow out into the middle of the channel and into the path of the barges.

[Strelnikov_]

25. Thanks for the insight

Almost like a car accident.

Vehicle A loses control, slides into the path of Vehicle B, and strikes parked Vehicle C.

[Merchant Marine]

26. I should've read the OP article better

The Atome had an engine casualty and lost power. With no engine she had no way to counteract the bank suction.

[Strelnikov_]

28. Looks like this is where it happened

That is one busy waterway.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=port+arthur&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Port+Arthur,+Texas&gl=us&ei=jJtbS4PyDoTANrXNxP4O&ved=0CA4Q8gEwAA&ll=29.860837,-93.934586&spn=0.01351,0.024097&t=h&z=16

[Merchant Marine]

32. Talk about waterfront property...

n/t

[Selena Harris]

30. Bank $$$ Suction?

Originally a subsidiary of Neptune Orient Lines, American Eagle Tankers was formed in Houston in 1994 to serve the US Persian Gulf lightering market. From a fleet of just three tankers, the company grew to become a major force in that rapidly developing market.<1>

American Eagle Tankers became a wholly owned subsidiary of international logistics provider MISC Berhad (formerly the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation) in July 2003. At that time, American Eagle Tankers was operating around 25 vessels and this provided MISC with the critical mass and strategic positioning to serve its global petroleum customers with coverage in the Atlantic Basin, the Persian Gulf and the Far East.

In 2007, the company’s operations around the world were brought together under the single, global brand of AET.<1>

AET today
AET has its operational headquarters in London, with regional offices in Houston, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

On behalf of oil majors and large trading houses, AET transports crude oil in its fleet of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and smaller Aframax tankers from the world’s producing nations to refineries in America, Europe and Asia. In addition, the company leads the industry in the provision of lightering services – a specialised operation involving the safe transfer of crude oil at sea from large tankers to smaller ships that are more suited to enter the ports along the US coast.

The company’s fleet expansion plans include a further 24 new vessels for itself and its joint venture partners, together with 6 new lightering support vessels.

Wikipedia

[Merchant Marine]

33. When a ship moves close to a bank

the bow generates a high pressure area of water compressed between the bow and the bank. Because of this a low pressure are is generated at the stern as the propeller moves water faster than it flows from the bow. This causes the stern to be sucked into the bank as the bow swings out.

(Edit: By bank I mean shore, sorry if that wasn't clear...)

[Selena Harris]

41. I know a little somethin'

about oil tankers.

Did you read the Wiki about the enormous size of the AET vessels-and that they lighter fuel to samller more nimble vessels?

My first thought is that is what happened . But there is a specific lightering area that is supposed to be used for that purpose.

Who knows ?

The Port Arthur channel is pretty narrow.

That is why the pilots make BIG bucks to maneuver these enormous vessels in these narrow channels. I am not sure what the draft is there,though.Maybe it neeeded to be dredged.

[Merchant Marine]

46. The Eagle Atome

IS a lighter. She's only 800 feet long. Anything under 1,000 feet ain't too big in the tanker world.

http://media.shipspotting.com/uploads/thumbs/rw/860781_800/Ship+Photo+TI+ASIA+%26+EAGLE+OTOME.JPG

[Selena Harris]

43. Coast Guard changes tune about power loss to tanker

The Coast Guard officials initially reported that the tank ship had apparently lost power.

Today , they reversed themselves and said that there was in fact no loss of power or steering on the ship.

According to various reports I have read,the investigation into the collision's cause is ongoing, and officials ain't talking or speculatin' today.

[Merchant Marine]

45. Interesting

I'll keep an eye out for the collision report, but It won't be out for a few months.

I saw an article that said the Coast Guard had the spill contained and that AET was paying for the cleanup.

[One_Life_To_Give]

48. Should be interesting

to explain why a Piloted vessel managed to get hit on the Starboard bow.

[mudplanet]

34. Go work on a ship and then make that comment. Starting and stopping

a large water vessel isn't something you do without some planning - the momentum and inertia involved are incredible. When you want to turn a ship you anticipate where you want the turn to start and begin the turn before you get to that point. It's more like coaxing it in a certain direction than steering.

Considering the volume of chemicals that are transported through the Port Arthur area yearly it is AMAZING that this is the first large spill in years.

The only thing that surprises me is that the recovery operation can't start more quickly. I believe they are stationed in the Houston area.

AFAIK being a harbor pilot is one of the sweetest jobs anyone that works on the water can have - they make so much money everyone else either envies them (you almost have to be a relative to get in on the business) or hates them (ship owners). It has to be one of the strongest small unions in the world.

[Turbineguy]

3. And some nice comments too!

God, not being satisfied with denying him a brain, gave him the ability to to write.

(I don't remember where that came from)

[prole_for_peace]

21. I live a town away from Pt Arthur and I am embarrassed by the idiots

in the first page of the comments. At least a few people show up to put them straight.

[last_texas_dem]

36. The Chronicle apparently has a pretty frightening online readership

I've gotten to the point where I tend to avoid reading stories from there as much as possible b/c I have a hard time resisting reader comments and the ones after Chronicle stories inevitably depress and/or frighten me. (The reader comments on the website of my more local paper, The Beaumont Enterprise, tend to be as scary or worse, though...)

[tango-tee]

38. Hello there in Beaumont!

I lived in Bmt many years ago and visited family there again last summer!

[tomm2thumbs]

4. 3 parties fighting in court for decades - the state & federal govts will pay for it in in the end

(uh, that's taxpayers... get your checkbooks out)

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Thank the heavens above it was only a "spill". n/t

[piedmont]

6. 250 million dollars lost PER DAY of port closure. Wow! nt

[Jumping John]

7. So the price of gas is going up. n/t

[kestrel91316]

8. The governor needs to order those damned socialists in the Coast Guard to

mind their own business and let TX corporations take care of the spill.

:sarcasm:

[Haole Girl]

9. Sigh

:-(

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Commodities like oil fell last week with the stock market

where oil fell below $75/bbl. The industry continues to create situations to reduce supply (refinery closings or fires, tanker leaks, storage ships docked but never unloading, etc.) and this strategy will naturally lead to higher prices. :banghead:

[notadmblnd]

11. how do 3 vessels collide?

aren't they big enough to see each other? Is there something like an air traffic controller that oversees the waterways? If not, why?

[Merchant Marine]

13. See my post #12

And yes, almost all ports have a pilot station and VTS (Vessel Traffic Services), as well as marked traffic separation zones.

However this collision happened in a narrow channel, and looks very similar to one I studied that happened in British Colombia in '03. Vessels are passing in a narrow channel, one is too far towards the center and forces the other vessel towards the bank. The stern of vessel two gets sucked into the bank, and the bow of the ship pivots into the path of the oncoming ship.

Now I'm not saying that the tug/barge combo is at fault here. I do however highly suspect bank suction to be the cause.

[notadmblnd]

15. I know when I drive down a one lane road

I pull over as far to the right as I can and stop to wait for the other vehicle to pass. I've never collided with another vehicle and I had no controller to guide me. It's kinda common sense isn't it? I guess they needed another reason to raise the price of gas and this is just their excuse.

[Merchant Marine]

16. I don't want to sound snarky

But your car doesn't generate high and low pressure areas as its hull compresses a liquid against the bank of a channel, now does it? That's the cause of bank suction, and the effect is shown in the picture from the collision. The stern that tanker is in the mud and the bow is cocked out into the channel.

Ships =/ Cars. For starters, they don't have brakes and cannot maneuver effectively at speeds lower than 4-5 knots.

[notadmblnd]

35. but common sense would tell you that 3 ships can't pass

simultaneously through that narrow of a channel. No? I'm sure it happens all the time without incident, until there's an incident then these people finally get smart. I figured you would come back and tell me that a car can't be compared to a ship, but damn....someone should have seen this coming.

[Merchant Marine]

37. Only two vessels were underway

The third was moored to a pier on the side of the channel.

Hundreds of vessels pass each other every day in narrow channels with no accidents or damage. the only reason this happened is because the downbound tanker lost power and got sucked into the bank. This is the fault of the engineers, not the deck crew.

Here's video of everday activity in nearby houston.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oneeighteen/2443170048 /

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oneeighteen/2447880836 /

[dmr]

17. Why would 3 vessels be in the channel at the same time?

It makes no sense to me.

[Merchant Marine]

19. The Onta was outbound

The tug/barge chain were inbound and the third ship was moored to a pier on the side of the channel.

Here's a set of videos from a ship outbound from Houston. This is common practice in the industry, it's what we're trained for.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oneeighteen/2443170048/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oneeighteen/2447880836/

From pier side to the sea-buoy.

[dmr]

23. Thanks for clarifying.

Must be a nerve-racking job to manage and maneuver these heavy ships.

[Merchant Marine]

24. Modern electronics and communications help a lot

But it's worth noting that the Onta was a foreign ship with a foreign crew. They don't have training like we do in the US.

[Selena Harris]

40. No speak English

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

[MineralMan]

29. People don't understand operating on the water.

On the other hand, when my little 12' aluminum boat is out on the Mississippi here in Minnesota, barges are a serious business for me. I dare not anchor, and keep my 6 hp outboard idling at all times. If I don't quarter the barge's wake, I'm in big trouble.

Well, not really. I wouldn't be swamped if I took a barge wake broadside. My boat is like a cork on the water. Still, it's quite uncomfortable, as I discovered once. Since then, the outboard is running and I can maneuver as needed.

Still, the huge catfish and other fish in the river make it worthwhile.

It's really not as dangerous as it seems.

Funny story: one time I decided to lock through heading upriver from Pool 2 to Pool 1. The lock-keeper was, apparently, not paying attention to small craft traffic and didn't see my tiny little boat approaching the lock. I don't carry a VHF radio, so I pulled my mouth-blown horn out and gave the required signal to call for the lock to be opened. This wonderful horn makes about 90 dB, and sounds like a much larger boat is approaching. So, the lock door opened and the green light went on. I putted into the lock in my 12' aluminum boat and grabbed the rope. The lock-keeper, who still hadn't really seen me from his position, came out and looked down into the lock. He almost fell down laughing. He said that he was expecting some rich guy's cruiser to pull into the lock. And there I was, in my little tinny. Hilarious stuff. The fish weren't biting in Pool 1, so I came back in about an hour and locked through heading downriver. This time, he saw me, and I didn't have to pull out my big-boy horn.

[sonias]

14. Damn sad news!

The people in Port Arthur already deal with too much environmental racism. And now they have to deal with this too. :cry:

mother Jones Magazine 2003
The Ungreening of America: No Clear Skies

In a Texas oil town, the assault on the nation's clean-air laws has hit close to home.

SHORTLY AFTER 4:30 P.M. ON MONDAY, April 14, 2003, the power went out at the Motiva refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. The massive plant shut down instantly and, as is common when something goes wrong at a refinery, the "product" in the pipes -- tens of thousands of pounds of highly pressurized liquids and gases -- was released through the smokestacks. In this particular incident, 256,653 pounds of toxic chemicals were hurled into the air over the next 24 hours.

"That refinery was blowing hot," says Hilton Kelley, the tall, sturdy, 42-year-old founder of a local group called the Community In-Power Development Association. "And that cloud of poison hung over us until, I'd guess, 10 or 11 that night."

It wasn't the first such incident, or "upset," at the 3,800-acre plant, a century-old, grime-stained industrial giant that glowers above Port Arthur's pancake-flat landscape. Motiva had experienced seven in just the previous 11 weeks, and the record of Port Arthur's other refineries wasn't much better; during one six-month period last year, barely a day went by without a toxic accident of some kind.

This is the kind of thing Port Arthur residents put up with all the time. :grr:

Sonia

[tammywammy]

22. Hiya Sonia

I was just down in the Pt Arthur area last weekend. I know I'm getting close when I can smell the stink of the refineries. I have quite a few family members that work at them, my grandpa retired from one.

[sonias]

27. Good luck to your family living in Port Arthur Tammy

I know a job is a job, but you also have to deal with the health aspects of working for these companies for a whole lifetime. Keep us posted if you hear anything from your family about what the spill does to the community.

:hug:

Sonia

[tammywammy]

31. I will let you know if I hear anything

My aunt that I regularly talk to hasn't gotten on AIM today.

They're all (my family that is) just now becoming fully recovered by Ike. Ike hit hard and a there's still a few FEMA trailers on my grandpa's street. He was lucky, he had flood insurance, though it wasn't required, and got his house repaired very quickly compared to most.

I know that one or two of the big refineries are expanding in size, so that's brought a lot of jobs (or will be bringing once it starts) which is good.

[tammywammy]

18. That's horrible

I have quite a bit of family down in the Pt Arthur area. Hopefully, being so close to so many refineries, they have adequate resources to get on top of the clean up quickly.

[Merchant Marine]

39. Just saw the NOAA update

They're tracking the slick with satellites and they've dispatched two response vessels.

[Selena Harris]

42. How much you wanna bet

that the vessel leaking oil wasn't double hulled?

Not REQUIRED of foreign flag ships-didn't the WIKI I posted say that the company had part ownership in Malaysia or
someplace in Asia?

[Merchant Marine]

44. She was built in '94

Double Hulls became mandatory on all newbuilds in '93

Double hulls
In 1992 MARPOL was amended to make it mandatory for tankers of 5,000 dwt and more ordered after 6 July 1993 to be fitted with double hulls, or an alternative design approved by IMO (Regulation 13F (regulation 19 in the revised Annex I which entered into force on 1 January 2007) in Annex I of MARPOL 73/78).

[Selena Harris]

47. Here's some data of interest

Read the endnote section. On target.

DOC] Post OPA-90 Vessel Oil Spill Differentials: Transfers Versus ...File Format: Microsoft Word - View as HTML
by WK Talley - Cited by 2 - Related articles
However, foreign flag vessels spill more oil on a per-vessel basis. ... all new vessels (oil-cargo and non-oil-cargo) be required to have double-hull bunker ...
bpa.odu.edu/port/research/PostOPA.doc - Similar