Galveston channel to close temporarily for dead-ship tow

Vessel Traffic Service Houston-Galveston has barred channel movements on Tuesday morning until the ship clears the main channel.

IMAGE: The Gulf Coast beach of Galveston, Texas. Getty Images

On the morning of 16 September, between 08:00 and 12:00 local time, the Galveston Channel will be closed to vessel traffic from the dock at Texas to the Galveston Bay Entrance Channel.

The measure is to facilitate the dead-ship tow of the training ship Kennedy, which is outbound to sea. While the tow is not expected to directly impact bunkering, channel traffic will be impacted due to the restriction, a source said.

However, there are some exceptions made for piloted vessels with a draft of 30 feet or less.

They will be allowed to transit, provided they do so with coordination (i.e., under pilot supervision) and maintain minimum wake and surge, to avoid disturbing the tow or risking safety in constrained waters.

By Gautamee Hazarika

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online