A tug pushing two barges collided with an oil tanker in the Houston Ship Channel, causing one barge to capsize and the other is damaged, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement. The barges were transporting gasoline blend stock Reformate, which is leaking into the water, officials said. There are no reported injuries at this time. An estimated 25,000 tons of gasoline stock were on each barge and an unknown amount had been released, the Coast Guard said. A helicopter aircrew and a boat crew were both deployed to assess the situation. A Port Houston Fire Department fireboat plus oil spill response, air monitoring and salvage personnel are responding, the Coast Guard said. The city of Seabrook acknowledged a strong smell coming from the collision, but said it is "not getting any reports that the air quality is impacted. Residents do not need to take any action at this time," CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV reports. The Coast Guard said air monitoring is being conducted. Galveston County officials warned that if anyone smelled gasoline, they should stay indoors and avoid the coastline, KHOU-TV reports.<doc-sep>A tanker moving outbound through the Houston Shipping Channel collided with two barges Friday afternoon, spilling an enormous amount of a refined product into Galveston Bay and transmitting a strong gaseous odor that has permeated inland. The vessels were navigating the channel through heavy afternoon rains. The liquid leaked into the bay is highly-flammable, toxic to marine life and could be deadly to anyone who ingests it. The collision happened around 3:15 p.m. CT on Friday just east of Barbers Cut, click2Houston.com reported. The barges, each carrying 25,000 barrels of a gasoline-refining product called reformate, were traveling the inbound lane. One barge capsized and the other was badly damaged. In addition to the chemical spill into the water, a strong odor has reached the western shore of both the Galveston and Trinity bays, and a faint odor has been detected as far west as Interstate-45. A barge collision near Bayport has spilled petroleum based product into the water and may be the source of the gasoline like smell being carried westward on the easterly winds across Gavleston Bay. Here is estimate of where the stronger odor may be present. pic.twitter.com/CdOygto2GP — NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) May 11, 2019 Reformate, the liquid seeping into the waters, is highly toxic to marine animals and can be deadly if swallowed by humans. It is also highly flammable. Reformate is used to boost octane levels in commercially-sold gasoline. As of 8 p.m. CT, the shipping channelwas closed from Light 61 to Light 75, KPRC reported. Municipal officials inland began receiving reports of a strong gas odor early in the afternoon. The town of Seabrook said its volunteer fire department was dispatched to check out its community. "We are receiving several reports about a petroleum smell coming from the Bay. The SVFD is investigating, however, we are receiving preliminary reports that the smell may be a result of barge accident in the Houston Ship Channel. We will be working to confirm this information," Seabrook officials tweeted. We are receiving several reports about a petroleum smell coming from the Bay. The SVFD is investigating, however, we are receiving preliminary reports that the smell may be a result of barge accident in the Houston Ship Channel. We will be working to confirm this information. — Seabrook, Texas (@SeabrookTX) May 10, 2019 Officials from League City, located 30 minutes south of Houston, said the odor was slightly noticeable but not enough to warrant any action from its residents. "League City & Galveston Co are monitoring air quality after a ship collided with 2 barges in Houston Ship Channel, releasing thousands of barrels of gasoline product into the water. Residents may notice a 'gasoline' smell. At this time, residents do NOT need to take any action," the city tweeted. League City & Galveston Co are monitoring air quality after a ship collided with 2 barges in Houston Ship Channel, releasing thousands of barrels of gasoline product into the water. Residents may notice a “gasoline” smell. At this time, residents do NOT need to take any action. https://t.co/vtcnsFsoIR — LeagueCityTX (@LeagueCityTX) May 10, 2019 Parts of the federally-owned shipping channel, which is the transitway for ships worldwide carrying crude oil and gas into Houston, remains closed. No injuries have been reported from the incident.<doc-sep>
(CNN) — Ship and barge traffic is resuming in the Houston Ship Channel as cleanup efforts continue in the aftermath of a spill that sent thousands of barrels of gasoline blending product into the channel, officials said Sunday. The spill came after a collision in the channel Friday between a 755-foot oil tanker and a tug pushing two barges. The impact capsized one barge, damaged the other and triggered the leak of gasoline blending stock that the barges were carrying, the US Coast Guard said. The barges – pushed by the towing vessel Voyager – were loaded with the gasoline blending component reformate, which leaked into the water after the collision near Bayport, Texas, officials said. About 9,000 barrels of reformate spilled into the channel, according to incident commander Jim Guidry, an executive with Kirby Inland Marine, owner and operator of the Voyager. There were no reported injuries during the collision with the tanker, the Genesis River. An estimated 25,000 barrels of gasoline blend stock were loaded on each barge, a Coast Guard statement said. Here is an estimate of where the gasoline-like odor from the barge collision may reach overnight (Midnight to 6 am). The stronger order will be mainly east of I-45 from near Webster to Bayport. pic.twitter.com/iElSvH0LDj — NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) May 11, 2019 Federal, state and local agencies are involved in the cleanup and environmental monitoring. A statement from those agencies Sunday said that the damaged barges have been secured and efforts were underway to remove cargo from the barges. “Work is expected to continue throughout the day with an established priority of ensuring the protection of (Galveston) Bay from the additional release of product,” the statement said. Officials at a news conference Sunday said some 2,700 air monitoring samples from the area had been taken and none of them exceeded “established action levels,” meaning they don’t pose a health risk at this point. Water quality testing is being done along the bay, the statement said. CNN’s Hollie Silverman, Ray Sanchez and Shawn Nottingham contributed to this report.