SME Times is powered by   
Search News
Just in:   • India, US bilateral trade focuses on high-growth sectors like chips, electronics  • India’s auto sector not likely to face major impact due to US tariff hike  • India's nuclear energy capacity jumps from 4,780 MW to 8,180 MW in 10 years, set for big leap  • Impact of Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs may be limited due to FTA: South Korea  • PM Modi's 'MAGA, MIGA' equation for India-US 'MEGA' ties 
Last updated: 17 May, 2024  

oil-spillTHMB.jpg Up to 2,000 gallons oil may spill into Gulf of Mexico as barge hits bridge in US

oil-spill.jpg
   Top Stories
» India, US bilateral trade focuses on high-growth sectors like chips, electronics
» PM Modi's 'MAGA, MIGA' equation for India-US 'MEGA' ties
» PM Modi to meet Elon Musk at White House on Thursday
» PM Modi on 2-day US visit, to meet Trump today
» PM Surya Ghar scheme benefits 8.46 lakh households in first year of launch
IANS | 17 May, 2024
Up to 2,000 gallons of oil may have spilt into the Gulf of Mexico after a bunker barge struck a bridge in the island city of Galveston, eastern Texas, the US Coast Guard estimated.

The source of the leakage from the barge has been contained after the accident, said the US Coast Guard, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Coast Guard said it deployed planes and drones to evaluate the extent of the oil spill on Thursday while closing about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a busy shipping channel for the region. Galveston is about 50 miles (80.5 km) away from downtown Houston, the largest city in Texas.

"We're pretty confident there was much less oil introduced to the water than we initially estimated," Coast Guard Captain Keith Donohue told a news conference.

"We've recovered over 605 gallons of oily water mixture from the environment, as well as an additional 5,640 gallons of oil product from the top of the barge that did not go into the water," Donohue said.

The 321-foot barge, which has the capacity to hold 30,000 barrels of oil, was carrying 23,000 barrels, which amounts to nearly 9,66,000 gallons, when it slammed into a pillar of the Pelican Island Causeway bridge on Wednesday, Rick Freed, vice president of barge operator Martin Marine, told the news conference.

A tugboat lost control of two barges "due to a break in the coupling" connecting them. One of the barges slammed into the bridge, the Coast Guard said.

Freed said an investigation is still underway.

The crash led to the partial collapse of the bridge, forcing the only land connection from Galveston to Pelican Island to shut down. No injuries were reported.

"The harmful consequences of oil are once again impacting our coastal communities, wildlife, and waters," Joseph Gordon with an ocean conservation group named Oceana said in a statement.

The spill will probably have minimal long-term consequences, considering the volume of oil on board the barge, Danny Reible, a Texas Tech University professor, told ABC News on Thursday.

The accident came weeks after a cargo ship slammed into a support column of the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, claiming six lives.

 
Print the Page
Add to Favorite
 
Share this on :
 

Please comment on this story:
 
Subject :
Message:
(Maximum 1500 characters)  Characters left 1500
Your name:
 

 
  Customs Exchange Rates
Currency Import Export
US Dollar
84.35
82.60
UK Pound
106.35
102.90
Euro
92.50
89.35
Japanese Yen 55.05 53.40
As on 12 Oct, 2024
  Daily Poll
Will the new MSME credit assessment model simplify financing?
 Yes
 No
 Can't say
  Commented Stories
 
 
About Us  |   Advertise with Us  
  Useful Links  |   Terms and Conditions  |   Disclaimer  |   Contact Us  
Follow Us : Facebook Twitter