Maritime News

Barge Accident Closes Houston Ship Channel

Posted on Oct 07, 2010

A barge accident left a 19-mile stretch of the Houston Ship Channel closed to maritime traffic.

The accident occurred around 6 a.m. on Sunday, October 3, 2010. A towing vessel named Safety Quest was pushing three barges loaded with scrap metal when it crashed into a Baytown power line. The tower, which supports a high-voltage electric transmission line, remained upright only with the support of one of the barges.

Although the maritime accident could have been deadly, no offshore injuries were reported. The barge crew was moved to another vessel and evacuated to safety.

Officials closed the channel from mile marker 105 to mile marker 124. It remained closed until Wednesday, October 7 while officials used a large crane to safely lower the tower to the ground.

The Port of Houston ranks first in the nation in foreign waterborne tonnage and imports and second in U.S. export tonnage and total tonnage. About 40 inbound and 24 outbound ships were delayed by the closure, and a backlog is expected for the rest of the week.