Raffinate Spill; Galveston Bay, TX

Galveston Bay, TX | 2000-Feb-17

Initial Notification: At 1610 hrs (CST) the tug UTV Marathon and a push of three barges collided with a spud barge in Galveston Bay, TX. One of the barges in the tow, Hollywood 2019, was holed and released an estimated 150 bbl of "BTEX-Raffinate." The spilled product is a light petroleum distillate dominated by hydrocarbons between nC-4 and nC-8 (much like gasoline). The incident occurred near beacon 42 in the Houston Ship Channel. The tow was moved to near beacon 53. MSO Houston is responding. At 1840 hrs (CST), the NOAA SSC was alerted of the spill by the NOAA Hazmat Duty Officer. The SSC linked up with MSO Houston and is providing technical support to include trajectory and weather information. The preliminary trajectory suggests that Dickerson Bay near April Fool's Point may be at risk, but if the volume released is only 150 bbl, the potential for land-fall is low. The spilled product will most likely be lost by a combination of evaporation and dispersion during the evening and night. USCG district 8.