U.S. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi established a security zone around the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Wednesday afternoon after they received reports of a natural gas leak from an underwater pipe that day.
Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Waterway Management Division Chief Billy Rodgers said vessels from the Coast Guard station went out to investigate the area about 2:30 p.m. after a boater observed large bubbles rising from the water, indicating an air or gas leak.
He said that the Coast Guard Command Centre has been informed about the natural gas leak.
Although the cause of the spill is unknown, members of the Incident Management Division coordinated the area response, and a Marine Safety Information Bulletin addressed to the Captain of the Port was published on social media, shared on the Coast Guard’s Home Port website, and sent via email and VHF radio broadcast, alerting commercial and boating industry partners to avoid the area within the safety zone until further notice.
Roksolana Matlashevsky, public-affairs duty officer for U.S. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi, said GPS coordinates have been made available for the area to allow recreational boating, commercial boats and vessels to locate it on electronic mapping systems mounted on their vessels.
According to the announcement, the safety zone is in the southern area of Corpus Christi Bay, approximately 0.5 nautical mile south of Corpus Christi Bay Day Beacon 61, near mile marker 546.
The Coast Guard establishes safety zones to protect personnel, ships and the marine environment from potential hazards to navigation and possible gas leaks from underwater pipes.
Ships without the permission of the Coast Guard have been banned from transiting through this area until further orders.
Rogers said a diving team working to repair the leak on Friday had to suspend repairs because of strong winds. Weather permitting, the team will go out on Saturday.
“Once the diving company informs us of their findings, we will know what they plan to do,” he said. “We are glad to hear it is no longer producing bubbles. We are keeping an eye on it and monitoring it.”
This safety zone will remain in place until the incident is resolved, after which an update will be posted on U.S. Coast Guard channels letting people know it is no longer in effect. Matlashewski said the Coast Guard will also broadcast the update to ship radios.
Corpus Christi Bay, a saltwater estuary and natural harbor on the Texas coast, is a center for a variety of boating, fishing, and water sports recreation. The bay is home to three separate shipping channels – the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, the Inner Harbor Channel, and the La Quinta Ship Channel – and is located near major U.S. oil and gas production sites.
Cheniere currently operates three liquefied natural gas production trains at the facility, which are designed to produce approximately 5 million metric tons of LNG annually. The company’s liquefaction facility is located on Corpus Christi Bay in San Patricio County. Cheniere is working on a project to expand the LNG facility on the La Quinta Ship Channel, located approximately 15 nautical miles off the Texas Gulf Coast, to produce and export more LNG.
Rogers said commercial vessels normally take the western route through Corpus Christi Bay and will not enter the security zone.
Steven Gordon of the Freedom Boat Club of Coastal Bend, Texas, which owns and maintains a fleet of boats that customers can rent for cruising, fishing and participating in water sports, said the location of the incident indicating the safety zone was far enough into the Gulf that recreational boaters may still have route options.
Parties with urgent concerns may contact the Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Command Center at 1-800-874-2143, or for non-urgent questions and concerns, email [email protected] . — Lt. Commander A. Garofalo, Coast Guard, at the direction of the Captain of the Port.
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