Despite draft limitations in the Sabine-Neches Waterway, tankers were entering and leaving Cheniere Energy Inc.'s Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Louisiana.
According to the US Coast Guard, a large semi-submersible rig drifted into and ran aground in the Sabine Bank Channel, constricting vessels entering the waterway to those with a maximum draft of 36 feet (11 meters).
Late on Monday, according to Refinitiv ship data, an LNG tanker with a draft of around 36.7 feet, or 89% of its maximum, left Sabine. Another tanker with a draft of around 36.1 feet, or 88% of its maximum, arrived on Friday at Sabine, Flex Resolute.
The Coast Guard said that it had tested the movement of two vessels, with drafts over 36 feet in the waterway. It added that it would enable future movements with exceeding 36-foot limitations on a case-by-case basis.
The waterway is located on the Texas-Louisiana border, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to Cheniere’s Sabine and oil refineries in Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas. It is just west of where Hurricane Laura and Delta struck in the past weeks.
Some major energy firms own refineries nearby.
