Houston—Traffic was rerouted and shelter in place orders were issued for residential and industrial locations Friday night, July 25, because of a small leak during an anhydrous ammonia transfer between two vessels in the Houston ship channel. A Coast Guard spokesman told Green Markets the release was measured in grams. Regardless, it resulted in the closing of the Beltway 8 bridge, Interstate 610 bridge and the Houston ship channel itself between 9:45 and 11:23 p.m. Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Kendrick did confirm that four crewmembers aboard the tug Trigger were exposed to the anhydrous ammonia during the transfer operation and were taken to a local hospital where they were found not to be seriously injured. The tug was conducting bunkering operations to refuel the motor vessel Sombeke, which was transferring the anhydrous ammonia. It was reported that the Sombeke was in the initial cool down phase, preparing to transfer at the Houston Ammonia Terminal when a gasket blew and the anhydrous ammonia was released. The Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service ensured that traffic didn’t enter the potentially contaminated area during the closure and a Safety Marine Information Broadcast was issued to mariners.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain