Collision Causes Crude Oil Spill In Port Arthur, Texas

HOUSTON—A collision between an oil tanker and two barges resulted in a major crude-oil spill in the port of Port Arthur, Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday.

One of the barges tore a hole on the side of the tanker vessel Eagle Otome at about 9:30 a.m. CST, spilling 11,000 barrels of crude oil, or 450,000 gallons, the Coast Guard said in a news release. The Sabine Neches Waterway is closed to all vessel traffic along Port Arthur's river front, the statement said.

The Coast Guard, which has established a perimeter around the spill, said it is investigating the causes of the collision.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Mike O'Berry said that there were no injuries reported among the crews of the vessels. He added that the Port Arthur waterway was closed to both incoming and outbound traffic pending further assessment of the situation. "It's a major spill and we're ready to respond to that," he said.

Port Arthur, located about 90 miles east of Houston, is home to key fuel-producing facilities such as the 275,000-barrel a day Motiva refinery, jointly owned by Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Saudi Arabian Oil Co; Total SA's 174,000 barrels a day refinery, and Valero Energy Corp.'s 310,000 barrels a day refinery.

Valero spokesman Bill Day said in an email that the spill is having "no impact" on the company's Port Arthur refinery. The refinery has offered emergency equipment to the U.S. Coast Guard, and is "standing by to help," Mr. Day said. Motiva and Total haven't replied to requests for comment.

The Port Arthur spill can be described as large, according to the classification established by the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd., which tracks oil spills around the world. According to the ITOPF, large spills are those that are more than 700 metric tons. The size of the Port Arthur spill is estimated at about 1,500 metric tons. The spill is the second to afflict the Texas coastline in recent times; in October, a supply vessel crashed against a Liberian-flagged oil tanker offshore of Galveston, resulting in an 18,000 gallon oil spill—equivalent to about 429 barrels of oil or 58 metric tons.

Senior Chief Petty Officer O'Berry said that there was not an estimate of how many vessels are waiting to come into port because of the incident. The Houston Chronicle reported that local law enforcement evacuated a six-by-five block area near the collision because of a leak of hydrogen sulfide.