Tanker and container ship collision briefly shuts section of busy Houston Ship Channel

A section of the Houston Ship Channel has been reopened after a brief shutdown caused by the collision of two ships.

The Coast Guard says no pollution and no injuries have been reported after the 892-foot container ship Montealegre (mon-tee uh-LEG'-ruh) and 445-foot tanker Chembulk Houston bumped Thursday afternoon about 15 miles up the channel from Galveston.

The 50-mile-long ship channel that links Houston to the Gulf of Mexico is lined with petrochemical plants. It's one of the world's busiest waterways.

The collision was reported to the Coast Guard about 2 p.m. The channel was closed in the area of the ships as a precaution. It was fully reopened about an hour later.

Petty Officer Dustin Williams says both ships were heading to their destinations up the channel.