ITC could be fined after oil spill
Intercontinental Terminals Co. faces a possible fine after an oil spill at its Deer Park facility on Saturday closed the Houston Ship Channel for nearly three hours.
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the minor spill, which occurred after a locomotive fuel tank punctured and leaked up to 300 gallons of diesel into a storm drain and out into the Ship Channel, one of the busiest commercial waterways in the country. An ITC spokesman said the company immediately alerted the Coast Guard, which deployed vacuum trucks, skimmers and a containment boom to isolate and clean up the spill.
“At this time, there is no impact to the Houston Ship Channel,” the Coast Guard said in a statement Saturday evening. “The Coast Guard will continue to monitor recovery efforts.”
The oil spill brought addi
tional scrutiny on La Portebased ITC nearly seven months after a massive fire broke out at its Deer Park facility, sending a miles-long plume of black smoke over the Houston area for several days. The March blaze, which burned for 64 hours, spread to 11 tanks holding gasoline-blend stocks, naphtha, xylene and pygas. More than 21 million gallons of water mixed with hazardous chemicals and firefighting foam were collected from the tank farm, located 21 miles southeast of downtown Houston.
The ITC fire is still under investigation, pending a final report from the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office.
The Coast Guard’s investigation into Saturday’s oil spill is expected to take two to three months and may result in a fine, a spokeswoman said. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said it is aware of the spill. ITC and Coast Guard officials are investigating what caused the puncture in the locomotive tank.
The Ship Channel is no stranger to oil spills, big and small. In 2014, a bulk carrier ship collided with the Kirby tank-barge, spilling about 168,000 gallons of fuel oil into the channel. Earlier this year, two barges collided with a tanker, spilling more than 11,000 barrels of gasoline blend into the channel.
Under the U.S. Code of Federal regulations, the ITC oil spill is classified as a minor one, because it occurred inland and involved less than 1,000 gallons of chemicals.
Bob Stokes, president of the Galveston Bay Foundation, a local conservation group, said the most recent oil spill should not have any long-term impact to the water and environment. Diesel floats on water, and is relatively easy to clean up, he said.
“It’s not a major spill, but it’s not insignificant,” Stokes said. “Anything that closes the Ship Channel is significant. As more volume and products move in and out, we need to insist and make sure we’re doing everything to avoid spills.”