Work continues to open Houston ship channel
The Port of Houston Authority said Monday afternoon its two largest container terminals continued to operate normally, despite an accident that closed a portion of the Houston ship channel since Sunday morning.
Ships were able to move normally to and from Barbours Cut and Bayport, said Lisa Whitlock, a spokesman for the port.
Elsewhere, however, three outbound and three inbound vessels were delayed by the accident, which the Coast Guard said occurred when a towing vessel, Safety Quest, owned by American Electric Power, collided with a high-line tower used to support wires for the electric utility CenterPoint Energy.
The Coast Guard said the power company had contracted Big John Marine to help stabilize the structure and remove some of the stress off the power lines. CenterPoint will then disconnect the lines, reel them in, and work on removing the damaged structure.
A Coast Guard spokesman said Tuesday morning the agency expected the channel would be reopening Tuesday night.
A four-mile portion of the channel is shut down and Whitlock said this is preventing ships from getting to or leaving some terminals including the Port of Houston facilities such as Jacintoport, the CARE terminal, Woodhouse Terminal and Turning Basin.