Significant oil spill in Galveston Bay

(March 24, 2014) – No timetable has been set to reopen the shipping channel connecting Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico after nearly 170,000 gallons of tar-like oil spilled into the busy Texas waterway. A barge carrying about 900,000 gallons of oil collided Saturday, March 22 with a ship, spilling about a fifth of it into one of the world’s busiest waterways for moving petrochemicals. Changing currents, winds and weather conditions have necessitated response officials to further extend containment and oil recovery plans into the Gulf of Mexico and south along Galveston Island. USCG report.