Exxon Mobil: Ship channel shutdown hitting refinery output (photos)

Fuel Fix ^ | March 24, 2014 | Houston Chronicle

[thackney]

Exxon Mobil Corp. said Monday that the shutdown of the Houston Ship Channel has affected production at its refinery complex in Baytown, the second-largest of its kind in the U.S.

Exxon Mobil spokesman Todd Spitler would not disclose how much of a drop in output the company expects and other oil companies generally would not detail potential problems resulting from the port shutdown.

The Houston Ship Channel remains closed indefinitely after nearly 170,000 gallons of heavy oil spilled into the Galveston Bay on Saturday afternoon.

Authorities are hopeful that the channel could open to some traffic on Monday, said Patrick Seeba, program manager of the Houston Ship Channel security district. A total of 81 ships or boats were waiting to move through the Houston Ship Channel as authorities continued efforts to contain and recover the spilled oil.

[thackney]

excerpt for Houston Chronicle content

Photos at link

[thackney]

Coast Guard aims to reopen Houston ship channel after oil spill
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/24/oil-spill-cleanup-blocks-major-texas-shipping-channel/

...Authorities are still trying to determine how much oil spilled Saturday, when a barge carrying about 900,000 gallons collided with a ship. Initial estimates were that as much as a fifth of the barge’s cargo spilled.

By Sunday, oil had been detected 12 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Twenty-four vessels were working to skim the spilled fuel and deploy containment booms...

...Draining the remaining oil from the barge and transferring it to other vessels eliminated the risk of additional spillage, said Capt. Brian Penoyer, commander of the Coast Guard at Houston-Galveston.

Nearly 400 people joined a fleet of oil-retrieving skimmers and other vessels in deploying some 60,000 feet of containment booms around environmentally sensitive areas...

[thackney]

Houston Ship Channel Could Reopen on Tuesday After Weekend Oil Spill
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Houston-Ship-Channel-Could-Reopen-on-Tuesday-Following-Weekend-Oil-Spill-252209631.html
Mar 25, 2014 | Updated 6:57 AM CDT

...Three days after the collision, the cleanup effort is still going on in earnest. But authorities hope the channel’s closure could end sometime Tuesday, allowing more than 80 stranded ships to resume activity.

Officials believe most of the oil that spilled Saturday is drifting out of the channel into the Gulf of Mexico, which should limit the impact on bird habitats around Galveston Bay as well as beaches and fisheries important to tourists.

“This spill — I think if we keep our fingers crossed — is not going to have the negative impact that it could have had,” said Jerry Patterson, commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, the lead state agency on the response to the spill.

The best-case scenario is for most of the slick to remain in the Gulf for at least several days and congeal into small tar balls that wash up further south on the Texas coast, where they could be picked up and removed, Patterson said.

However, officials said Monday night that changing currents, winds and weather were pushing the oil not only further into the Gulf, but also southwest along Galveston Island, resulting in expanded oil recovery efforts.

The Coast Guard said earlier Monday that it hoped to have the channel open to barge traffic as quickly as possible but that more tests were needed to confirm the water and the vessels traveling through the channel were free of oil....

[knarf]

I’ve been involved with a personal problem the last couple of weeks ... what was the cause and who is being blamed ?

[FAA]

Newest reason to spike gas prices......?

[thackney]

a barge carrying about 900,000 gallons collided with a ship. Initial estimates were that as much as a fifth of the barge’s cargo spilled.

- - - - -

Investigation of why is underway

[mabarker1]

How Y’All doing?

Besides the about to be obvious rise in fuel prices.

[PapaBear3625]

Nearly 400 people joined a fleet of oil-retrieving skimmers and other vessels in deploying some 60,000 feet of containment booms around environmentally sensitive areas...

Bacteria in the Gulf would eat the oil if they just left it alone.

[mabarker1]

Barge= big

Ship = BIGGER

Barge Pilot= Oh &h!t!!!

Last I knew smaller vessels had to yield to larger ones.

[thackney]

Coast Guard will re-evaluate ship channel traffic Tuesday
http://www.click2houston.com/news/oil-spill-cleanup-underway-after-barge-ship-collide-in-ship-channel/25107670

Coast Guard officials reported 46 outbound vessels and 47 inbound vessels are being held in queue for transit in the Port of Houston. The Port of Texas City has five inbound and three outbound vessels. Coast Guard officials said crews must first ensure that vessels can navigate oil free waterways so no further contamination occurs...

The oil remaining on the damaged barge was off loaded to another vessel Monday. The partially sunken vessel was also righted and stabilized. Coast Guard officials said after a barrier is built around the damaged area and the vessel is cleaned it will be towed from the area of the accident.

Crews have deployed more than 70,000 feet of containment boom, but corralling the oil has proved difficult. Shifting winds and choppy current are pushing the oil; which is breaking up into smaller patches.

[thackney]

Bacteria in the Gulf would eat the oil if they just left it alone.

Eventually, yes.

But much of it was recovered. It can be separated from the water, processed and used. It would also kill too much marine life before was consumed up. This is shallow water; not the massive water volume of a deep water oil spill.

[knarf]

Well

We've found an affordable MH but don't have all the money yet, it's ours with the down stroke and we have two weeks to complete

God is providing

[thackney]

There are quite limited lanes of sufficient depth in the bay.

[thackney]

God is providing

May God Bless you in this time and keep his guiding hand in your life.

[thackney]

Recent article describing the movement of ships in the Houston Ship Channel and the limitation of the lanes that provide sufficient depth for those interested.

Massive oil ships play ‘chicken’ in the Houston Channel
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2014/02/24/pilots-do-texas-chicken-amid-houston-channel-oil-traffic/

Traffic on the Houston Ship Chanel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcWqWgaFKhI

Texas Chicken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku8kjVQYKE4

Houston Ship Channel in 3 minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeNKHLKgWyk
(time lapse)

[null and void]

We’ll see this at the pump before the day is out.

[thackney]

The channel was shut down on Saturday. This did not happen today.

[yldstrk]

men are so stupid and make such big messes

how the hail did a barge and a tanker collide

who wasn’t watching and was horsing around

[thackney]

men are so stupid

You have issues. Seek God.

[null and void]

OK. I haven’t been following the news much. did the pump price rise.