Fuel Tank

Oil Recovery Ops in Houston Ship Channel

The oil spill responders continue clean up efforts today after the 458-ft tank vessel Chemical Supplier allided with a barge and spilled approximately 10,500 gallons of oil in the Houston Ship Channel early on Sept. 25. Responders, as of 5:00 p.m., recovered approximately 4,280 gallons of oil. The following resources are being used during the response effort: •    15,000 feet of containment boom (currently deployed) •    3 workboats •    6 roll off boxes (dumpsters) •    4 vacuum tanks •    1 helicopter •    2 frac tanks (large storage tanks) •    2 drum skimmers (used to extract oil from the water) The following response organizations are working with the Coast Guard in the oil response effort: •    T&T Marine Salvage •    United States Environmental Services •    Phoenix Environmental •    Oil Mop •    Garner Environmental The source of the leak was secured at approximately 1:25 a.m. Sept. 26. The fuel tank contained an estimated 22,500 gallons of fuel oil. The Houston Ship Channel remains closed to all vessel traffic north of the I-610 bridge.

CG Responds to Oil Spill off Savannah Coast

The Coast Guard is responding to an oil spill approximately nine-miles offshore of Savannah after a tank ship punctured a hole in its double-hulled fuel tank during the deployment of the ship's anchor Sept. 27. The Singapore based tank ship, Stolt Vision, reportedly sustained a rupture to the starboard fuel tank located beneath the water surface while lowering its anchor at approximately 5:50 p.m. Sept. 27. A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station Savannah conducted an over

Washington State – Oil Transfer Requirement Training

Ecology field visits help operators understand new oil transfer requirements Washington companies and operators that transfer oil over water to non-recreational vessels got some unanticipated help this month on successfully complying with the Department of Ecology (Ecology) oil transfer rules adopted in September 2006. On March 8 and 15, Ecology staff made technical assistance visits to 65 oil transfer locations across the state

Coast Guard Awards Salvage Contract to Titan

The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $3.5 million contract to Titan Maritime, LLC, of Dania, Florida to conduct an underwater assessment of the sunken shipwreck S.S. Jacob Luckenbach, and remove any recoverable oil discovered within the fuel tanks of the vessel. The shipwreck was identified in February as the ongoing source of pollution that has periodically oiled thousands of sea birds off the California Coast. The contract award is the culmination of an intensive evaluation and selection

Bill Introduced on Double Hulls

Senator Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the Oil Spill Prevention Act of 2008 (S. 2699) to require new vessels carrying oil fuel to have double hulls, and for other purposes. This bill, if enacted into law, would require new vessels with an aggregate capacity to 600 cubic meters or more of oil fuel to comply with MARPOL requirements relating to protective location of the fuel tanks and would provide for establishment of a merchant marine medical program.

Gibdock Repairs Collision Damaged Cargo Ship

A collision involving the three-year-old multipurpose general cargo/container vessel Ems, owned by Werse Schiffahrts of Münster, Germany, recently brought a new customer to Gibdock, the Gibraltar-based ship repair yard. The 308 ft long, 5500dwt Ems (formerly the Buluklu and Rhone) - delivered in 2007 by the Torgem yard in Turkey - was alongside in the port of Montril, near Almeria, Spain, when the vessel was struck by the bulbous bow of the ferry Ace 2, formerly Euroferry Atlantica

Coast Guard Opens ICW After Fuel Dissipates

The Coast Guard opened the Intracoastal Waterway after the fuel that spilled earlier dissipated. Pollution Investigators from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur assessed the waterway and declared that there was no recoverable diesel fuel. Approximately six miles of the ICW was closed west of Lake Charles, La., this morning after a tug accidentally spilled diesel fuel while transferring it from its fuel tanks to its day tanks

Oil Spill Closes Intracoastal Waterway

The Intracoastal Waterway has been closed for six miles west of Lake Charles, La., due to an oil spill today initially estimated at 700 gallons. A watchstander at Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur received a call from Kirby Inland Marine reporting fuel from one of their tugs had overflowed into the ICW. The tug was transferring fuel from its fuel tank to its day tank while moving along the ICW when the spill occured. The area from mile marker 257 to mile marker 263 has been closed to all

Oil Spill Bill Forwarded

The Senate Commerce Committee approved the Oil Spill Prevention Act, legislation introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and cosponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) that aims to make ships safer and assess and improve vessel tracking procedures.Boxer said, “Californians know all too well the devastation an oil spill can cause to our waters, wildlife and our communities.  Just last fall, 58,000 gallons of toxic bunker fuel poured into the San Francisco Bay after the Cosco

CG Monitoring Oil Spill Off Savannah Coast

The Coast Guard is continuing to monitor an oil spill approximately nine miles offshore of Savannah after a tank ship damaged its double-hulled fuel tank during the deployment of the ship's anchor Sept. 27. The Singapore-based tank ship, Stolt Vision, reportedly sustained a rupture to the starboard fuel tank located beneath the water surface while lowering its anchor at approximately 5:50 p.m. Sept. 27 A first light over flight conducted by an Air Station Savannah HH-65 helicopter crew