TEXAS : Same Barge Firm Causes 2nd Oil Spill

The company responsible for an oil slick that workers contained in Galveston Bay has a history of trouble with barges buckling and breaking open. The Buffalo 286, owned by Buffalo Marine Service Inc., dumped thousands of gallons of oil in the Houston Ship Channel before limping into a port five miles away. On March 18, a barge belonging to the same firm buckled and spilled more than 5,000 barrels of fuel oil into Galveston Bay. One or two of the barge’s 12 tanks ruptured in the spill late Sunday, said Coast Guard Lt. Emile Benard. Each tank holds 2,500 barrels, or roughly 105,000 gallons. By Monday afternoon, it was still unknown exactly how much of the syrupy oil had spilled. Protective booms were placed around the barge to contain the oil, and wind helped workers keep the slick from entering the Gulf of Mexico. The cause of the accident is unknown.