Milestone in oil spill cleanup: Coast Guard says Eagle Otome can be moved

The Coast Guard says the process of beginning to move the Eagle Otome out of the middle of the Sabine Neches Ship Channel early Tuesday afternoon is a milestone in the oil spill cleanup and effort to reopen the waterway in Port Arthur.

A KFDM News crew was on site shortly before noon when the Coast Guard gave the official word that the process of moving the damaged tanker could begin. It's destined for a shipyard.

The Eagle Otome and a barge collided Saturday morning in the waterway near the Port of Port Arthur, causing more than 460,000 gallons of crude to spill into the water, according to the Coast Guard.

This is day four of the oil spill cleanup in Port Arthur and the Coast Guard hopes that by Thursday it can reopen the channel, at least to some traffic.

A number of oil tankers and commercial vessels are waiting for access to the waterway.

The Coast Guard says it wants to make sure ships can move up and down the channel without causing the remaining oil to spread. Crews have recovered 71,400 gallons of oil and 180,600 gallons of an oil/water mixture.

The Texas General Land Office is working with the Coast Guard to oversee the cleanup. A spokesman says the work is ahead of schedule. He credits lightering Monday with removing oil to allow the tanker to be moved. That, and the overall Texas response, he says, is limiting the damage and speeding up the recovery.

Hundreds of contractors are cleaning up the oil. They say more than half of the oil has evaporated, dispersed or been cleaned up.

According to those overseeing the work, the spill hasn't affected marshes or sensitive environmental areas.

Volunteers have removed oil from at least five birds.