Coast Guard reopens Houston ship channel after tug sinking
The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened the Houston ship channel late Tuesday afternoon after a tugboat capsized the day before.
The Coast Guard spent 25 hours after the accident searching for a missing crewman. His body has not been found. The agency continues to investigate the cause of the accident.
The 58-foot tugboat “David C. Devall” overturned and sank in 50-feet of water Monday at about 3 p.m., the Coast Guard reported. The crew of an oyster boat rescued the other two crewmen of the tugboat.
A three-mile section of the Houston Ship Channel was closed Monday at 4:09 p.m. from light 50 to light 60, between Kemah and Redfish Island. The Coast Guard said the closure disrupted transit to the upper ship channel, affecting 41 ships (31 inbound and 27 outbound). There were also more than 39 barges waiting in Bayport, Pelican Cut and Bolivar.