UPDATE: Coast Guard removes safety zone in Corpus Christi Channel 

UPDATE: Coast Guard removes safety zone in Corpus Christi Channel

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Coast Guard removed the safety zone early Saturday morning that was established for a submerged vessel in the Corpus Christi Channel near Corpus Christi, Texas. 

At approximately 1:30 a.m., Contractors were able to successfully recover the vessel from the channel. Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi incident management personnel confirmed there were no signs of pollution.  

The Corpus Christi Port Coordination Team is working to prioritize vessel traffic through the channel. The current vessel queue as of 8 a.m. is zero vessels outbound and ten vessels inbound. 

"Our ability to quickly restore vessel traffic flow in the channel was expedited through our strong relationships with our state, local and industry partners," said Chief Petty Officer Cristian Vega, command duty officer at Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi. "The channel was able to be reopened safely and without any pollution impacts in less than 24 hours thanks to these hard working men and women."

The safety zone, resulting in a full closure of the channel, was established Friday when Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders were notified by the towing vessel Brock, that their 25-foot workboat began taking on water while being towed. No personnel were aboard the vessel at the time. 

-USCG-