Port of Houston reopens to vessel traffic

   The U.S. Coast Guard began allowing ships to move through special zones of the Port of Houston’s ship channel Tuesday afternoon after being closed since Saturday due to an oil spill.  
   The first transits started with deep-draft vessels moving outbound from Houston. By 6 p.m., the Houston port pilots reported 14 vessels had sailed, with 29 more pending outbound and 46 waiting to come into Houston. 
   “Daylight-only restrictions are in place on all movements in/out of the safety zones, with hours of darkness,” starting at 7:30 p.m., the port authority said in a statement. “Some inbound vessel movements to Houston could occur this evening subject to the daylight-only restriction.”
   Tow movements are allowed in both directions on the Intercoastal Waterway, as well as into the Port of Houston, it added.
   On Saturday, the bulk ship Summer Wind collided with a barge containing 924,000 gallons of fuel oil that was being towed by Kirby Inland Marine’s vessel Miss Susan. The Coast Guard estimated about 168,000 gallons of oil spilled into the water from the ruptured barge.
   Cleanup work by federal and state agencies is still ongoing.
   Kirby Inland Marine has reportedly said it will cover the cost of the cleanup.