Two people were taken to a hospital after an oil storage tank exploded at the Pelican Island Storage Terminal, reported the Galveston Daily News. The tank farm is near Texas Clipper Road, east of the Texas A&M University at Galveston campus, city spokeswoman Marissa Barnett said.
The tanks at the business are used to store a form of crude oil, Barnett said.
Texas A&M University at Galveston has issued a shelter-in-place order as a precaution because of the fire, school spokeswoman Rebecca Watts said. The shelter-in-place order was lifted about 4:30 p.m., Watts later said.
Pelican Island is on the north side of the Galveston ship channel. It is the location of the Texas A&M University at Galveston campus and multiple industrial businesses.
Pelican Island Storage Terminal is owned by the publicly traded World Point Terminals, based in St. Louis, Mo. and stores light refined products, heavy refined products and crude oil, according to the company.
Refiners typically use World Point’s terminals because they prefer to subcontract storage services or their facilities do not have enough storage capacity or dock infrastructure, according to the company.
World Point Terminal President and Chief Operating Officer
Ken Fenton didn't immediately return a phone call to the Galveston Daily News.
The Pelican Island facility has storage capacity of about 2 million barrels of oil and lists vacuum gas oil, bunker fuel and No. 6 oil among the products at the site.
