When the channel would be reopened
The Houston Ship Channel has been closed to all vessel traffic since 3:15 am CST (0915 GMT) Tuesday because of fog.
The Houston Pilots suspended all vessel boardings at 3:15 am CST, while the Galveston-Texas City Pilots suspended all vessel boardings at 3:33 am CST, according to a notification from VTS Houston-Galveston.
“There are not too many vessels [affected by the closure]. We have about 5-6 vessels inbound and about the same outbound,” said a Houston Pilots dispatcher, who was unable to provide an estimate of when the channel would be reopened.
The suspension of ship movements in the Houston Ship Channel impacts the delivery and loading schedules of crude oil, petroleum and petrochemical products.
The 52-mile ship channel provides access from the Gulf of Mexico through Galveston Bay to ports in Houston and other cities in the area that have industrial facilities, including refineries and petrochemical plants.