A collision Friday morning involving two petrochemical barges shut down the Galveston Bolivar Ferry and the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway for several hours. Hear More On Barge Chemcial Spill The accident happened shortly before 5:30 a.m. Friday near the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston, where the Houston Ship Channel and the Intercoastal Waterway intersect. The channel was reopened at 10:30 a.m. Friday, and the ferry resumed. U.S. Coast Guard officials told News2Houston that a tank on one of the barges ruptured during the collision, spilling 44,000 gallons of a chemical called naphtha. It's a volatile, often flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture distilled from petroleum, coal tar and natural gas. It is used as fuel, as solvents and in making various chemicals. "We've had no effect to the environment that we can distinguish," U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Richard Kaser said. "We were very fortunate that the winds were favorable." Coast Guard officials said that the chemical tends to remain on the surface of the water and evaporates. Traffic was backed up for several miles as motorists waited to board the ferry, which provides the only link between Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston. Two tugs were pushing the barges when they collided. No one was injured in the crash. The cause of the accident is under investigation.