they're asking people down river to evacuate to higher ground. the houston ship channel, home to some of the busiest oil traffic as well as sensitive wildlife, is closed this morning. as abc's mike boettcher reports, a ship collision left oil leaking and ships stranded. >> reporter: crews scrambling. to contain oil that spilled into the houston ship channel when a barge collided with a ship near galveston bay. one of six tanks breached. the tank carrying 168,000 gallons of oil. it's still unclear how much oil is in the water. containment booms were deployed to keep the spill from spreading. >> it is in the galveston bay. it is something we will continue for a little while. >> reporter: the houston ship channel, one of the busiest sea shipping routes in america. cruise lines delaying departure, passengers stranded. >> they told us we are delayed until tomorrow. we got to get rooms now. >> reporter: officials are concerned about a potentially