Chemical-Carrying Ships Collide, Spill

A ship and barge, both carrying chemicals, collided Thursday in the Corpus Christi Bay, causing a spill that forced thousands of people to evacuate and shut down the ship channel.

The Maersk Shetland tanker lost steering and struck the barge, which was carrying about 724,000 gallons of Cumene, port officials said. The chemical is used to make plastic products and as the glue for pressed wood and fiberboard.

Mark Buese, a spokesman for the barge company, TPT Transportation Co. of Baton Rouge, La., estimated that between 84,000 and 105,000 gallons of the chemical spilled from the barge.

Vapors from the spill were detected three to four miles away. The vapors are considered an irritant, not a major health risk, according to port officials.