Federal and state authorities are cleaning up an oil spill in the Port of Galveston after a ship collided with a pier late Tuesday night, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A ship from ForestWave Navigation BV, a Dutch shipping company, allegedly struck Pier 32, the Coast Guard said. The oil spill was stopped, but authorities say they don't know how much oil went into the water before that.
ForestWave did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
No one was injured, according to a news release from the Coast Guard, which said it had not received any reports about impacts to wildlife.
The Coast Guard as well as the Texas General Land Office are working with ForestWave to respond to the spill. The Coast Guard said the air and safety of the area are being monitored.
Bob Stokes, the president of the Galveston Bay Foundation, told Houston Public Media he had limited concern about the extent of the spill, though he had not seen the scope of the damage firsthand.
"It didn't look like a major spill to me at all," Stokes said. "One concern is that it was very windy [Wednesday], and it's hard to contain oil by booms when it's windy."
In an effort to reduce the impact of the spill, the Galveston Ship Channel was closed from Gulf Copper to Pelican Island Bridge. That area includes where many cruise ships dock along Galveston Island.
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