Navigator-Europa

The Houston Ship Channel was re-opened on Dec 14, 2015, after a nearly three-hout shutdown of a 3,20-km-long section following te fire aboard the "Navigator Europa" which was moored outside the Targa LPG export terminal. It was extinguished nearly 90 minutes after it started, but the channel remained closed for nearly another 90 minutes as firefighters monitored the air to ensure no toxic fumes lingered. The shutdown held up three outbound ships and one inbound tugboat and barge. The tanker had been loading ethylene when the fire started. Reports with photos and video: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/2331144/fire-aboard-navigator-europa#.Vm_ky79zssU http://maritime-executive.com/article/ship-fire-closes-sections-of-houston-ship-channel http://abc13.com/news/fire-crews-battle-flames-on-houston-ship-channel-vessel-/1121782/ http://www.kgns.tv/home/headlines/Coast-guard-ship-catches-fire-362078671.html

A fire on board a Navigator Gas tanker led to the closure of a two-mile stretch of the Houston Ship Channel on Monday. Liberian-flagged tanker Navigator Europa, was moored at Targa’s Galena park export terminal when the fire occurred while it was loading ethylene. The blaze was extinguished within 90 minutes but the US Coast Guard (USCG) required the stretch of the waterway to remain closed while checks were done for possible toxic fumes. All crew members were accounted for, the USCG said. The 52-mile Houston Ship Channel is one of the world’s busiest waterways. It is part of the Port of Houston and links the port’s numerous terminals – many of them petrochemicals facilities – to the Gulf of Mexico, through Galveston Bay. http://splash247.com/fire-lpg-tanker-leads-closure-houston-ship-channel/