On May 10, 2019, at 1516 hours, the 754footlong, 122footwide liquefied natural gas carrier Genesis River collided with a 297footlong tank barge being pushed ahead by the 69footlong towing vessel Voyager. As a result of the collision, two cargo tanks in the barge were breached, spilling petrochemical cargo into the waterway, and a second barge in the Voyager tow capsized.

The Genesis River had been outbound on the Houston Ship Channel when, a few minutes prior to the collision, it met the inbound 740footlong, 120footwide liquefied gas carrier BW Oak in the intersection of the Houston Ship Channel and the Bayport Ship Channel, known as the Bayport Flare. After the Genesis River and the BW Oak passed each other port side to port side, the Genesis River approached the southern terminus of the flare and a 16degree port turn in the channel. As the Genesis River exited the flare and entered the turn, it crossed over to the opposite side of the Houston Ship Channel and subsequently struck the starboard barge in the Voyager’s twobarge tow. The Genesis River’s bow penetrated through the barge’s double hull and breached its center cargo tanks. The force of the collision capsized the port barge in the tow, and the Voyager heeled considerably before its face wires parted and the vessel righted itself. Over 11,000 barrels of reformate, a gasoline blending stock, spilled into the waterway from the starboard barge’s breached cargo tanks.

The Houston Ship Channel was closed to navigation for two days during response operations and did not fully open for navigation until May 15. The total cost of damages to the Genesis River and the barges was estimated at $3.2 million. The cost of reformate containment and cleanup operations totaled $12.3 million. There were no injuries.

​The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the collision between the liquefied gas carrier Genesis River and the Voyager tow was the Genesis River pilot’s decision to transit at sea speed, out of maneuvering mode, which increased the hydrodynamic effects of the Bayport Flare’s channel banks, reduced his ability to maintain control of the vessel after meeting another deepdraft vessel, and resulted in the Genesis River sheering across the channel toward the tow.

Note that the audio feed in this video is from the Genesis River’s bridge. The video itself is from Voyager. There may be a slight timing discrepancy.