The extent of a vacuum gas spill from the barge bridge allision at Galveston, Texas, has been contained, according to Coast Guard officials who established a joint command for response to the May 15 accident.
The barge MMLP 321, owned by Martin Marine, allided with the Pelican Island Causeway around 10 a.m. Wednesday in after a coupling break, according to a Coast Guard update May 16.
There were no reports of injuries or people in the water, the Coast Guard said. But one cargo tank on the 30,000-gal. capacity vessel leaked from the force of impact, which partially collapsed a rail trestle alongside the highway bridge.
The spill source was contained around the site and “additional oil spill assets are responding to the incident.,” according to the Coast Guard. “A Coast Guard Air Station Houston overflight as well as drones are being deployed this morning to evaluate the extent of the oil spill.”
The bridge was open to car traffic leaving Pelican Island and pedestrian traffic both ways, but road conditions could change as state officials continued to examine the state of the bridge.
