Oil spill cleanup crews working to protect wildlife

DALLAS (AP) - Crews worked Sunday to protect two sensitive wildlife areas after a crude oil spill shut down parts of a major southeast Texas port, state Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said.

Plastic walls known as booms and oil-sucking skimmer boats were used to safeguard a lake that is a crucial breeding ground and a wildlife management area that lost its protective gates when Hurricane Ike roared ashore a year and a half ago, Patterson said.

The U.S. Coast Guard said about 462,000 gallons - or 11,000 barrels - of oil spilled into the water Saturday when an 800-foot tanker headed for an Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery in Beaumont collided with a towing vessel pushing two barges near Port Arthur, about 90 miles east of Houston. It was the largest spill in Texas since 1994, but still well shy of one 20 years ago involving Norwegian tanker Mega Borg that leaked 4.3 million gallons of crude oil about 60 miles off Galveston.

The tide lifted the two ships and they separated shortly after midnight Sunday without more oil being spilled, Coast Guard Petty Officer Richard Brahm said.

The crew of the damaged tanker, the Eagle Atome, said the remaining 69,000 of the 80,000 barrels of oil in the ship were pumped out, according to the Coast Guard.

Chief Warrant Officer Lionel Bryant of the Coast Guard said about 45,800 feet of booms were deployed to contain the spill.

"Because of where it happened, we were able to get teams out there quickly to at least contain it for now," Bryant said. "But it's still a tremendously large spill."

None of the sensitive wildlife areas had been affected, Bryant said. That included Keith Lake, a breeding ground for shrimp and other small fish, and the Murphree Wildlife Management Area, where several endangered species have been spotted.

Bryant said his agency had one report of an oil-covered bird and encouraged residents to report any sightings of affected wildlife.

"It's too early to claim victory yet," Bryant said. "Right now, there's no impact in the marshes and no impact in Keith Lake."

Coast Guard officials have said the spill was mostly contained in a 2-mile stretch of the Sabine Neches Waterway, which runs along the city of Port Arthur. The area off-limits to ships was extended 18 miles to the Texas Gulf Coast in case of a breach or a wind shift that might complicate containment efforts, Bryant said.

The Sabine Neches Waterway is the second-largest in Texas, according to the online Handbook of Texas. Bryant said refineries generally are prepared for a 72-hour shutdown, which would extend into Tuesday. He said it wasn't known when the waterway would reopen.

The tanker is owned by AET Tankers, a Malaysian company with offices in Houston. Patterson said AET would pay for most of the cleanup. A spokesman said the company was working with the Coast Guard on cleanup and assessment and referred to Coast Guard officials for further comment.

Exxon Mobil, which owned the oil, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Sunday.

The ship collided with a towing vessel pushing two barges, leaving a 15-foot-by-8-foot hole in the tanker. During the collision, the towing vessel also hit another tanker that was tied to a pier. Brahm said that tanker sustained some damage, but had no leaks.

A National Transportation Safety Board spokeswoman said the agency was supporting the Coast Guard investigation but had no further details Sunday.

By SCHUYLER DIXON

Associated Press Writer

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

PORT ARTHUR, Texas - From U.S. Coast Guard - Responders from the Unified Command established to clean up the oil spill here recovered an estimated 46,200 gallons of spilled oil as of Sunday afternoon.

Fifteen skimming vessels continue to comb the waterway and recover more oil, and there are about 500 responders working both in the field and at the command post. They have deployed 45,800 feet of boom to contain the estimated 462,000 gallons of crude that spilled after a collision between a towing vessel and an 807-foot tank ship on Saturday.

The safety zone established in the Sabine-Neches Waterway now extends from the North Forty at the northern tip of Pleasure Island to Texas Point by the Sabine River jetties. No vessel may enter the safety zone without the permission of the Captain of the Port or his designee. This restricts all recreational and commercial vessels from transiting the area.

West-to-northwest winds and strong ebb currents are expected to move oil south of Mesquite Point over the next 24-36 hours.

Therefore, the Captain of the Port recommends that vessels south of Mesquite Point and not yet impacted by the oil take all prudent precautions to minimize and mitigate potential impacts should the oil move further south as expected. Precautions may include sailing vessels moored to an alternate port or booming vessel and facilities structures. Facilities should make alternate berthing arrangements for vessels bound for the Sabine-Neches Waterway.

Vessels desiring to depart from unaffected portions of Sabine Pass Channel must obtain permission from the Captain of the Port and should contact VTS Port Arthur at (409) 719-5070 or VHF-FM channels 01A or 65A.

All of the boat ramps south of the Sabine-Neches River to the Sabine River jetties are also closed.

There is no identified impact to any area marshes, but responders continue to monitor ecologically sensitive sites along the waterway. Responders recovered one oiled bird, a heron, on Sunday and are investigating reports of other oiled birds.

To report oiled or injured wildlife, please contact Rhonda Morgatroyd at (409) 719-5074. Members of the public should not attempt to capture any oiled wildlife.

The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting a joint investigation into the cause of the incident, and all parties are fully cooperating.