Dense fog forced the temporary closure of the Houston Ship Channel for the sixth consecutive day on Tuesday, although improved visibility allowed the Houston Pilots Association to resume moving ships into the port briefly at midday and again in the afternoon.
Over 60 ships are at anchor in the Houston area, due to six days of dense fog that has forced intermittent closures of the Houston Ship Channel. The Channel feeds USA's busiest oil and petrochemicals port. Uptil now, the delays in crude shipments have not caused operational difficulties, as there have been breaks in the fog. However, these disruptions are likely to cut into commercial crude oil and fuel stockpiles in the United States, and force refiners along the channel to reduce gasoline and distillate production.
20-Dec-06 
{{comment.DateTimeStampDisplay}}
{{comment.Comments}}