Protestors Close Part Of Houston Ship Channel

The Coast Guard said it closed a portion of the Houston Ship Channel on September 12 due to Greenpeace protestors near Baytown, Texas. The protestors suspended themselves from a bridge by cables over parts of the ship channel.

At 6:30 a.m., Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received notification that approximately 11 individuals were suspended from the Fred Hartman Bridge.

A Station Houston 29-foot Response Boat was launched to the scene.

The Houston Ship Channel was closed from Light 102A to Light 104.

As of 7:30 a.m., the Coast Guard said, the vessel queue was one vessel inbound and two vessels outbound.

The event received wide media coverage, due to social media posts by Greenpeace. “We’re in the heart of the fossil fuel industry (the largest oil export channel in the U.S.) to confront Trump and the oil industry,” one of Greenpeace’s tweets read.

The protests appeared to be timed to coincide with the scheduled debate of Democratic presidential candidates in Houston September 12.