NATION : Oil Pumped Off Buckled Barge
HOUSTON — Salvage crews today transferred oil off a barge that buckled and leaked about 21,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil, the Coast Guard said. It was the Houston Ship Channel’s third large spill of the summer.
“Now they’re just trying to clean up the remaining oil,” said Coast Guard Seaman Karl Christensen. “They’re using booms and vacuum trucks, small boats and absorbent pads. There were some skimmers and pumps supposed to be arriving later today to help with that effort.”
The accident occurred while the barge was being loaded at an Arco Petrochemical dock Sunday morning.
“It was just sitting there at the dock and apparently, it just started buckling in half,” said Coast Guard Senior Chief Dale Eichmann.
The cause of the accident was not immediately known.
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