PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) _ The Coast Guard will begin its formal hearing into the circumstances of a collision of vessels in the Gulf Coast in January that caused the worst oil spill in Texas in 15 years.
The hearing will begin Tuesday with testimony from the crew of the Eagle Otome, an 800-foot tanker that collided Jan. 23 with a towboat pushing two barges. About 462,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the waters off of Port Arthur after the collision.
Some 100 people were evacuated from their homes in the hours after the spill. It took more than 500 people several days to clean up.
No conclusions will be drawn from the hearing, which could last up to 10 days. The Coast Guard will use the testimony, along with other data collected in its investigation, to improve waterway safety.