There’s a bit of a situation developing down at the Houston Ship Channel today. A diesel spill was reported at the PEMEX Deer Park refinery on Sunday, which prompted crews to scramble into action to get things under control.
According to Misryoum reporting, the refinery used the Community Awareness Emergency Response system—you know, the CAER network—to alert folks that they had a leak on their hands. It sounds like they managed to isolate the site pretty quickly, which is good, but the cleanup is definitely still underway. I can still smell a faint, sharp scent of petroleum lingering in the air if I stand too close to the water here.
Misryoum analysis indicates that the refinery’s response team is currently busy deploying oil booms in the channel to try and keep the spill contained. It’s a standard move, but it’s messy work. They’ve notified all the relevant agencies—actually, let me double check that—yes, all the appropriate bodies were alerted as soon as the scale of the spill was identified.
It’s still unclear if this is going to affect the nearby industrial neighbors or the surrounding community. PEMEX Deer Park mentioned in their update that they don’t have information on any wider impact right now, but that could change—or maybe not, depending on how the booms hold up.
We’re waiting for more details on exactly how much diesel got out there. It’s always a bit of a waiting game with these things.
Misryoum editorial desk noted that the company hasn’t provided much else beyond the initial statement, so we’re just watching to see what the next update brings. The situation remains fluid, and we’ll be keeping tabs on the channel cleanup as things progress throughout the evening.