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Gulf Coast bunkering company Buffalo Marine Services Inc., will today be congratulated by the City of Houston for preventing a potential disaster in the Houston Ship Channel during Hurricane Ike.

When the Rickmers Seoul, a Superflex deep-sea container ship owned by German firm Rickmers Linie, broke away from its moorings at Hurricane Ike’s height at 4:30 am on September 13th 2008, three Buffalo Marine Services push boats immediately responded, in the face of Ike’s 90-100 mile-an-hour winds.

The City of Houston will today be saluting and commending Buffalo Marine Services, Inc., along with the captains and crews involved, for bravery and heroism. Buffalo Marine Services is a full-service marine fuel bunkering company that has served the Gulf Coast since 1935.

The push boat captains were: San Carmen (Captains Pat Beshea and Jimmy Lopez), San Rafael (Captains Michael Ellis and Les Cain), and San Patricio (Captain Al Schmidt). The captains were assisted by their able crews; Joseph Lloyd, Ed Lott, and Victor Alvarez on the San Patricio; Joe Kissinger, Brandon Jones and Alex Stovall on the San Rafael; Kevin Flowers, Mario Villanueva, and Greg Colvin on the San Carmen.

Patrick J. Studdert, president and CEO, said of the situation: “The men were suddenly confronted with a large ship in a restricted ship channel out of control. They kept their heads and acted quickly to stabilize the situation.”

Studdert further explained that on that fateful morning, ahead of the runaway container ship were two barges loaded with 50,000 barrels of flammable bunker fuel and the I-610 bridge over the Houston Ship Channel. “The storm-swollen current, estimated at 5 knots, swung her bow down the channel toward the bridge. Together the three boats pushed the ship against the barges and the bank to keep it from hitting the bridge and causing a massive disaster,” Studdert said.

Bill White, Mayor of the City of Houston, will proclaim March 3rd 2009, as Buffalo Marine Services, Inc. Day in Houston, Texas. The proclamation will be presented at 1:30 p.m. at the Houston City Hall downtown, second floor, Council chambers.