Oil Spill Response Organization News

Responders are working to minimize environmental damages from a cutter suction dredge that capsized in the Mississippi River near Meraux, La. on Monday.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector New Orleans were notified at 12:50 a.m. that the dredging vessel W.B. Wood capsized in the vicinity of mile marker (MM) 85. The two people on board were rescued by the crew of a nearby towing vessel, Omaha.Coast Guard aerial observers confirmed sheening from the incident location down to MM 64, which is expected to dissipate naturally.

May 22 marks National Maritime Day. Congress established it in 1933 in commemoration of the steam ship Savannah and her maiden voyage, which was the first trans-Atlantic journey ever made by a steam-powered vessel. In the 203 years since the Savannah departed her eponymous port in Georgia for Liverpool, England, oceangoing technology has come a long way – and maritime shipping has become a supply-chain backbone that keeps goods arriving from all over the world. Much of this shipping…

Following reports of oil spills found along the Southeast Louisiana coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday it had conducted overflights Sunday that focused on two locations previously identified for further investigation."Members of the National Strike Force aboard a Coast Guard HC-144 flew over Bay Marchand, south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, and the Enterprise Offshore Drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, in a continued effort to track and monitor any threats they may pose to the environment," the U.S.

Salvage crews have removed all diesel fuel from the tanks of capsized liftboat Seacor Power in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.Salvors removed approximately 20,363 gallons of diesel fuel from the overturned vessel using the hot tapping method, which involves drilling into the fuel tanks, making a hose connection, and transferring the fuel to portable tanks, the Coast Guard said.Approximately 4,500 gallons of hydraulic fluid still on board will need to be removed after the vessel is raised as the tanks are currently inaccessible…

Resolve Marine Group was awarded the prestigious AMVER (Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System) Award for work done by privately funded Emergency Response Salvage Tug the Resolve Pioneer.It was presented to Resolve by the United States Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Karl Schultz at the close of National Maritime Day and the NAMEPA Safety at Sea conference at the Press Club in Washington D.C. on May 26, and recognized the work done by the Resolve Pioneer under the AMVER system. The global AMVER network is more than 60 years old. It receives locations of the vessels registered in the program and sends vessel alerts when others are in distress based on who is in the best position to make a rescue.

A salvage dive team located a two-inch diameter hole on the port side of the engine room and applied a temporary patch. The vessel is no longer taking on water. Any pollution from the incident has been recovered or dissipated. Containment booms will remain in place, and a watchstander will stay on the vessel to monitor the situation. A long term plan for the ship is in development.“The safety of residents and responders is our priority, and while no one wants something like this to happen, thankfully it occurred at the pier where they swiftly addressed the issue,” said Lt. Erica Brewton, Sector Honolulu Incident Management Division.

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday it is responding to a crude oil discharge in Rattle Snake Bayou, southwest of Port Sulphur, La.Coast Guard watchstanders in New Orleans received a report from the National Response Center that the well was reported to be leaking.It is unknown when the discharge began, and the amount discharged has not been determined. The well is rated to produce 5,476 gallons of oil per day.Responders are working to locate and secure the source of the discharge. The well's owner Hilcorp has contracted ES&H as an oil spill response organization.

A harbor tug is aground, partially submerged and taking on water on the Upper Mississippi River near Cairo, Ill.The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report at 2 p.m. Tuesday stating that the vessel, Totem Kole II, was taking on water at mile marker 59.7. The vessel is grounded at a nearby embankment on the left descending bank of the river.All crewmembers were able to safely disembark the vessel.Coast Guard crews are responding to the incident and an oil spill response organization has deployed containment boom around the vessel to prevent the spread of pollution after an unknown amount of product is reported to have gone into the water.

Emerging spill response trends fit into two big categories: technology and a combination of economic and social forces. Both will shape what comes next.Florida’s stunning Tampa Bay stands out as exactly the kind of place where you have to think about hazardous materials emergencies. It was 25 years ago, on August 10, 1993, that a freighter collided with two barges near the entrance of Tampa Bay, causing a fire and spilling over 32,000 gallons of jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline and about 330,000 gallons of heavy fuel, devastating beaches, wildlife and habitat.

National Response Corporation (NRC) has acquired SWS Environmental Services (SWS), significantly adding to its national footprint and expanding its full line of compliance and environmental services. Since 1974, SWS has been providing a broad range of essential services including industrial, hazardous waste management, emergency response, marine, and remediation services to the energy, manufacturing, education, healthcare, chemical, transportation, government, and retail sectors. Employing over 250 personnel, SWS is a customer‐focused company with 21 locations servicing 17 states throughout the Midwest, Gulf Coast, and Southeastern U.S.

A Dutch flagged product tanker has reportedly discharged 2,600 gallons of heavy fuel oil into the Mississippi River near Norco, La., Monday. The cause of the spill is under investigation.The U.S. Coast Guard said it is responding to the incident after its watchstanders in New Orleans received a report of the oil discharge from the vessel Iver Exporter at approximately 1 a.m.The source of the discharge near mile marker 126 on the Lower Mississippi River is reported to be secured, and the 183-meter vessel is currently moored at the Shell Norco Manufacturing Complex.There are no waterway closures or restrictions due to the incident, and there are no reported injuries or impacts to wildlife.

Towboat Gate City has sunk and is reportedly discharging oil near mile marker 8 on the Big Sandy River near Butler, W.Va. The vessel is discharging oil into the river “with a maximum potential of 5,000 gallons,” according to the U.S. Coast Guard, who said it received a report that the vessel had sunk at its mooring Wednesday morning. A Coast Guard pollution response team arrived on scene and is working with the oil spill response organization Weavertown to deploy boom and contain the oil and begin cleanup operations.

A towing vessel has reportedly capsized and sank at 11:35 p.m., Wednesday, at a pier near Wickliffe, Ky., mile marker 951 on the Lower Mississippi River. The U.S. Coast Guard is responding.   The UTV Tom Rogers had about 3,500 gallons of diesel on board at the time of the incident.   SWS Environmental Services, an oil spill response organization, will conduct assessments of the water and land for any potential diesel release.   McKinney Salvage has been contracted to remove the vessel.   The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Oil spill response organization Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) has named Carmine Dulisse as its new President and CEO effective March 1, 2017.   Dulisse joins MSRC after more than 30 years with ExxonMobil in various roles, including the maritime and crisis management arenas. He was one of the founding officers of the Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC) in the capacity of Health, Safety, and Environmental Officer from 2011 to 2015, prior to returning to ExxonMobil as the corporation’s Global Emergency Preparedness & Response Manager. He served in this capacity until retiring from ExxonMobil and joining MSRC on March 1.

The stricken towing vessel Sonny J has been raised and dewatered Sunday after it was partially submerged on the Lower Mississippi River near Vidalia, La.   On February 26 local U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders received a report that the Sonny J was partially submerged near Vidalia, La. with approximately 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board.   Coast Guard responders, an oil spill response organization, a marine surveyor and the salvage company J.O. Smith are on scene.   No pollution has been reported, but containment boom and sorbent material have been deployed around the towing vessel.   The cause of the incident is under investigation.

The Coast Guard is monitoring the transit of a motor vessel that ran aground in the Columbia River near Skamokawa, Washington, but was refloated, inspected and given a captain of the port order to transit to Kalama, Saturday morning. There was no report of pollution or injuries stemming from the grounding of the Nenita, a 738-foot Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier fully laden with grain. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Columbia River were notified of the incident at 3:21 a.m. The vessel was headed outbound the Columbia River from Kalama, Washington when the vessel reportedly lost propulsion and ran hard aground and was taking on water. The vessel’s crew found, isolated and secured the flooding in the forward peak of the vessel.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi and the Texas General Land Office are responding to an oil spill at mile marker 667 on the Intracoastal Waterway near Port Isabel, Wednesday. Watchstanders at Sector Corpus Christi received a report that the uninspected towing vessel Capt. Jim Green allided with a dock at the Subsea 7 facility, releasing approximately 20,000 gallons of low sulfur diesel fuel into the waterway at 11:24 p.m., Tuesday. A Unified Command consisting of the Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office and Kirby Inland Marine has been established in response to the allision and diesel spill. Miller Environmental, an oil spill response organization, is currently on scene conducting air monitoring and oil recovery operations. The source of the spill has been secured.

Efforts have been underway since 2014 to procure government funding for new training vessels for the State Maritime Academies (SMA). Pending bills in Congress at this time would provide $300 million for the construction of the first of four training vessels for the SMAs with a total of $1.2 billion for the proposed four vessel package. Domestic maritime stakeholders have other options, however. These alternatives are attractive for more than one reason. Separately, the U.S. offshore energy sector has experienced a significant decline in demand and production…

The Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC), the nation’s leading oil spill response organization, has announced that Steven T. Benz, the company’s President and CEO, will be retiring on April 30, 2017. Tim Plummer, Chair of the MSRC Board of Directors, said “We are thankful to Steve for his many years of strong leadership. During his tenure, he has solidified MSRC as the preeminent spill response organization in the nation, as demonstrated by the critical role MSRC played in the “Deepwater Horizon” response.

The U.S. Coast Guard informs it is continuing to monitor and respond to the 833-foot U.S. cargo vessel Roger Blough, which ran aground Friday afternoon on Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior. The chance of a fuel spill is minimal and flooding on the vessel is stable, the Coast Guard said. The Roger Blough crew is said to be in good condition with no reported injuries. Plans to free the grounded freighter continue to progress through the combined efforts of Canadian partners, company representatives and the U.S. Coast Guard.

National Response Corporation (“NRC”) announced today it has acquired ENPRO Services, Inc., adding to its national footprint and expanding its full line of environmental, emergency response, and industrial services. Since 1983, ENPRO has been providing essential environmental, emergency response, and industrial services to the energy, transportation, industrial, insurance, and municipal sectors. Employing over 250 personnel, ENPRO is a customer-focused services company with 9 offices and 2 waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (“TSDF”) throughout the Northeastern U.S. NRC provides a broad range of environmental, emergency response…

A damage assessment revealed significant damage to the motor vessel Sparna, which ran aground Monday in the main shipping channel of the Columbia River near Cathlamet, Wash. The damage assessment showed multiple fractures were found, the largest being a 25-foot by 5-foot wide fracture with a visible boulder lodged inside. Damage to the Sparna was contained to two flooded compartments. The assessment was submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard by Ballard Marine Construction early Tuesday morning and was shared with both Washington and Oregon state responders.

On-scene assessment teams have reported the maximum estimated potential clarified slurry oil released from the tug collision is now 250,000 gallons, Thursday. The maximum potential spill has been reduced because the two remaining partitions aboard the affected barge were reportedly secured. A Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed wing aircraft conducted an over flight earlier today, which revealed a five-mile discoloration beginning at the impact site. A safety zone is in place on the Mississippi River, and currently closed to all traffic except response vessels between mile markers 939-922. A queue is in place, six up bound and nine down bound. Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley watchstanders received a call about a collision between two towboats at mile marker 937 at 8:22 p.m. Wednesday.