Spills
In the early morning hours of june 9, 1999, the tug harvey challenger with barge, the city of new orleans in…
Harvey Challenger; Galveston, Texas · Galveston, Texas · NOAAORR-7405
- issued
- 1999-06-09 00:00Z
- status
- cancelled 1999-06-23 00:00Z
- self-cancels
- 1999-06-23 00:00Z
- authority
- NOAA OR&R
- sea
- Gulf of Mexico
- position
- 29.353, -94.754
- vessels
- TUG HARVEY CHALLENGERTUG RELEASED AN · 2 messagesBARGE TOOK
- source
- incidentnews · first seen 2026-09-03 15:09Z
Original warning text
Harvey Challenger; Galveston, Texas. Galveston, Texas. 1. In the early morning hours of June 9, 1999, the tug Harvey Challenger with barge, The City of New Orleans in tow, allided with the rock jetty at the entrance to Galveston Bay, Texas. The City of New Orleans, a chemical carrier, was loaded with propane. The accident holed both the tug and the barge, but neither seriously. None of the propane tanks on the barge were compromised, but the barge took on water and began to list. After first light, what initially was thought to be a small fuel oil release, appeared much greater. The tug released an estimated 1200 gallons of fuel oil (the potential spill was estimated at 5000 gallons). The area threatened by the spill included many very sensitive wildlife resource areas. Birds were at the greatest risk of impact from this spill because they were present in very large numbers and many of the species present do not avoid oiled areas. Species [...] 2. COMMODITY: MARINE DIESEL. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 1200 GALLONS. 3. POSITION 29.353N 094.754W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 7405: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/7405
This area · spills & pollution incidents
549 within 180 nm since 1973 · 13 in the last 12 months · 1 in force now
73
75
80
85
90
95
00
05
10
15
20
25
26
- Intermittent oil sheen; flower garden banks national marine sanctuary, bright bank2026-08-25
- Release of aluminum phosphide in M/V thorco liva; port arthur, texas2026-07-28
- Mystery oiled shoreline at holly beach; cameron parish, louisiana2026-07-10
- Johnson bayou, la2026-06-17
- 2726 gillespie, crystal beach, tx 77650, USA2026-05-16
- On april 27, 2026, the U.S2026-04-27
Season · when spills & pollution incidents happen here
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
month of issue, all years in the archive
Nearby now · within 120 nm
Worldwide now
8 spills & pollution incidents in force · see all
Spills
Oil and chemical spills, groundings and vessel casualties with a pollution threat: NOAA IncidentNews responses since 1957, and spill-response areas broadcast as navigational warnings. All current spills & pollution incidents →
Not for navigation. This is a re-rendering of an official navigational warning for awareness; mariners must use official NAVAREA broadcasts and their national MSI service.