Department Of Environmental Conservation News

An air circulation operation has begun on the 410-foot general cargo vessel Genius Star XI which is currently at anchor off Dutch Harbor, Alaska.The vessel, carrying lithium-ion batteries, caught fire on Christmas Day. In response, the crew released carbon dioxide into hold No. 1 and sealed it over concerns of an explosion.The purpose of the air circulation is to increase air flow in the cargo holds so that personnel can enter. Additional technical experts are enroute to evaluate options for conducting visual inspections.

The unified command consisting of the Coast Guard, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Office of Emergency Management, and Monmouth County Department of Health, received oil sample lab results from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Laboratory Friday, linking together oil spill cleanup efforts in both New York and New Jersey.Vane Brothers Company, as represented by Gallagher Marine Systems, has been identified as the responsible party.

Removal operations for a tug partially submerged at the National Guard Dock in Gastineau Channel, near Juneau, Alaska, are scheduled, weather pending, to be conducted this week and into the weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Melino’s Marine Services, the contracted salvage company, plans to remove the vessel utilizing a barge and crane system that are currently enroute from Bellingham, Wash.The operation is expected to take multiple days pending weather conditions. Once the vessel is removed…

A retired U.S. Navy destroyer USS The Sullivans has capsized after suffering a severe hull breech while moored on the Buffalo waterfront.On April 13, the 376-foot Fletcher-class destroyer-turned-museum experienced an electrical power-loss resulting in the failure of the onboard water discharge pumps. Progressive flooding and extreme weather conditions caused the vessel to list 45 degrees on its starboard side.Private contractors have been brought on-site by the Buffalo Naval Park to begin dewatering the vessel with four industrial dewatering pumps capable of discharging more than 13…

A unified command consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and Western Towboat, continues to lead the response efforts for the grounded tug in the Neva Strait, which initially occurred Monday morning.The tug owner, Western Towboat, contracted Hanson Maritime, SEAPRO, and Global Diving & Salvage who are currently on-scene and continuing pollution recovery efforts and salvage planning.A total of 3,000 gallons of diesel has been pumped from a ruptured tank aboard the tug…

California-based boatbuilder Moose Boats has delivered a new fireboat to the Rochester, N.Y. Fire Department. The M2-38, dubbed Marine 1, is the first Moose in the Great Lakes. With a roof monitor, a cockpit monitor, a 5” large diameter hose Storz discharge, and the ability to pump over 1,500 gallons per minute, this boat will offer greatly increased capabilities to the city and its surrounding communities, the builder said.Rochester Fire Department's new boat has an extended walk-around cabin configured with three shock-mitigating crew seats…

All passengers have safely debarked a passenger vessel that ran aground and began taking on water in the Saint Lawrence River near Alexandria Bay, N.Y., Thursday afternoon.The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report at 1:17 p.m. that the tour boat Island Duchess, operated by Uncle Sam Boat Tours, had run aground with 134 passengers on board for a day cruise. All passengers were transferred via responding assets from multiple assisting agencies to another USBT-operated vessel…

Clean-up crews were working to contain an oil spill at the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System's (TAPS) Valdez Marine Terminal, officials said on Wednesday, but the volume spilled was not preventing tankers from loading at the site.A sump overflow spilled oil into the water at the terminal on Sunday night. By Wednesday, clean-up crews had recovered 574 barrels (24,108 gallons) of an oil-water mix, authorities said.A team composed of system operator Alyeska Pipeline Service Co, the U.S.

July brought news about offshore wind. There was something for everyone: optimism, disappointment, and construction, too.Finally, starting with Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, a joint venture with Danish wind developer Orsted is underway. True, this is a small project – just two wind turbines to be installed 27 miles east of Virginia Beach. But considering all the preceding hurdles, news about Dominion blew in as proverbial, hopeful fresh air. Surely…

Operations to recover oil from a World War II-era shipwreck are nearing completion after commencing on May 11, 2019 off the coast of Long Island, N.Y., the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday.The sunken vessel, Coimbra, was a supply ship owned by Great Britain that was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Long Island during World War II. Initial dive operations in May 2019 confirmed the tanker was leaking small amounts of oil, the Coast Guard discovered.A unified command…

The U.S. Coast Guard and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, along with contracted Resolve Marine Group, continue to assess the tanker Coimbra located approximately 30 miles southeast of Shinnecock, NY.

The U.S. Coast Guard has contracted Resolve Marine Group to conduct a full assessment of oil remaining on the Coimbra wreck, located approximately 30 miles southeast of Shinnecock, N.Y. If substantial oil still remains, and if feasible, the Coast Guard will work with Resolve Marine Group to remove oil from the wreck in order to reduce pollution risks to the environment.The operation is scheduled to take place from April 28th to May 30th. The initial evaluation will assess the condition of the tanker and what potential environmental impact still exists. Based on the assessment, possible oil removal operations will take place.During the operation…

Moose Boats, a boat designer and manufacturer in the San Francisco Bay Area, was awarded a contract from the City of Rochester, New York Fire Department for the construction of the first M2-38 Fire Rescue Catamaran to be delivered to the Great Lakes. Twin Cummins 425hp turbo diesel propulsion engines, Twin Disc transmissions and Hamilton water-jets will power the M2-38 aluminum catamaran. Rochester Fire's new Moose Boat will be equipped with a fire pump system flowing over 1,500…

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is warning people in the waters off the Rockaways to stay away from any tar balls or oil sheens they might see and is investigating to see if they're related to an oil leak from a vessel a few days ago.USCG, along with partner agencies, are responding to reports of oil sheen and tar balls, on the ocean side of Coney Island and Long Island, from Norton Point to Atlantic Beach.Members of the Unified Command for Goethals Oil Spill continue responding to a report of sheening and tar balls received Saturday from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC).During shoreline assessments conducted Sunday afternoon…

Coast Guard and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation have established a Unified Command in response to an oil spill 49 miles north of Kodiak in Shuyak Strait, Tuesday. The spill reportedly occurred Monday morning after an abandoned building collapsed during extreme weather conditions. An oil fuel bladder located inside the building fell in the water releasing a max potential of 3,000 gallons of bunker C fuel oil. Coast Guard, ADEC and Alaska Chadux Corporation personnel are currently responding to the fuel release. A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew conducted an overflight of the area. The Coast Guard opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and contracted with Alaska Chadux…

When marine safety collides with environmental advocacy and non-maritime business interests, the discussion can be contentious, confusing and cumbersome. In June 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) opened a public comment period regarding new anchorage zones in the Hudson River; usually a rather low-key set of issues. This proved different. Opponents jumped on the proposal – initially suggested by three maritime organizations – as a backdoor way to facilitate a huge expansion in crude oil shipments on the Hudson.

The response to potential pollution from the fishing vessel Akutan continues in Captains Bay near Unalaska, Alaska. The U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the city of Unalaska established a unified command, and responders are continuously monitoring levels of anhydrous ammonia and removing various petroleum products from the vessel. 5,000 gallons of oily water from the engine room bilge and 1,200 gallons of oily mixture from one of the slop tanks were removed Friday and Saturday.

A crane barge that will be used to hoist a sunken tug in Sitka, Alaska has arrived to the wreck site. The evolution to raise the tug is expected to take up to 10 days, the U.S. Coast Guard said. U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Sitka and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation have been monitoring the out-of-service tug Powhatan, which sank at a pier in Sitka, April 19 and slid approximately 300 yards down a bank ultimately settling in 160 to 180 feet of water. The tug's owner, Samson Tug and Barge Company, contracted Southeast Alaska Petroleum for pollution recovery and Alaska Commercial Divers to plug vents and survey the vessel underwater. Since the sinking, an estimated 400 gallons of mixed product has released from the sunken tug.

Emergency personnel continue their response to the tug boat Samson Mariner which ran aground and spilled fuel while towing a barge in the vicinity of Rosa Reef in north Tongass Narrows, Alaska, Wednesday evening. Approximately 1,100 gallons of diesel spilled from the tug prior to being patched by Alaska Commercial Divers Wednesday night. The Samson Mariner has been refloated and is anchored in Ward Cove alongside the barge it was towing. A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew conducted an overflight with Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Ketchikan personnel aboard to determine the extent of any possible sheen or environmental impacts. A sheen has been reported in the area and SEAPRO has been tasked with fuel containment and recovery using boom and absorbent pads.

The oil giant British Petroleum (BP) oil and gas well on Alaska’s Northern Slope that blew out on Friday continues to spill crude oil and gas uncontrollably. There have been no injuries or reports of damage to wildlife, but crews trying to secure the well have failed amid frigid winds gusting to 38 miles an hour. Well pressure was monitored throughout the night and excess pressure was bled off to keep it within a safe rang. There was no estimate about volumes of natural gas and oil released. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) said in a statement that asecond leak had been reduced but was still emitting gas. Washington Post quoted Brett Clanton…

An out of service tug has sunk at the Samson Tug and Barge Company pier in Sitka, Alaska. The 81-foot vessel Powhatan owned by Samson Tug and Barge Company sank at the pier on the evening of April 19 and subsequently slid under the pier approximately 200 yards along an underwater ledge. U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Sitka and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation personnel are responding. Samson Tug and Barge Company is developing a salvage plan and has contracted Southeast Alaska Petroleum Response Organization for oil recovery and Hanson Maritime to dive and survey the tug. The vessel, which has been out of service for over 10 years…

The Coast Guard is responding to a report of a sheen in Lake Ontario near the Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Scriba, New York, approximately 10 miles northeast of Oswego, New York, Sunday. The cause of the sheen is unknown at this time. The Coast Guard has established a temporary safety zone extending two miles to the north and two miles to the east and west from the Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant. A Coast Guard Auxiliary air crew noticed the sheen during a flight and reported it to Coast Guard Sector Buffalo. A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Oswego launched and took samples of the sheen and is currently enforcing the safety zone. Representatives from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation are on scene.

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a report of a sheen in Lake Ontario near the Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Scriba, New York, approximately 10 miles northeast of Oswego, New York, Sunday. The cause of the sheen is unknown at this time. The Coast Guard has established a temporary safety zone extending two miles to the north and two miles to the east and west from the Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant. A Coast Guard Auxiliary air crew noticed the sheen during a flight and reported it to Coast Guard Sector Buffalo.