Houston Ship Channel fully reopens after collision of 2 vessels closed section since Monday

The Houston Ship Channel has fully reopened after a collision between two vessels caused the leak of a flammable gasoline additive and forced the closure of a section of the major waterway.

Authorities closed a 4-mile to 8-mile section of the channel Monday after the tanker Carla Maersk and the bulk carrier Conti Peridot crashed in foggy conditions. Nobody was hurt, but some of the Carla Maersk's cargo — methyl tert-butyl ether or MTBE — was spilled.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Dustin Williams says crews finished transferring the remaining cargo from the damaged tank early Thursday and that the Carla Maersk has been moved. Williams says the waterway reopened at 8:35 a.m. CDT Thursday.

The channel feeds ships to the Port of Houston.