Texas City Port Open to All Traffic, Response Continues
The Captain of the Port of Houston/Galveston has opened the bay to all traffic Thursday after multiple cleanup assessments and input from the Texas Department of State Health Services. A current Broadcast Notice to Mariners instructs all boaters that the safety zone remains in affect, however all restrictions are lifted except to transit using safe distance and minimum safe speeds in the vicinity of any oil spill response or salvage operations and to avoid all areas of sheening or visible oil. If any oil is sighted, boaters should report it to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802. While all recreational activities, including swimming is open, the DSHS does advise people not to swim in areas where they can see oil.
Hawaii Establishes Incident Command for Molasses Spill
The Hawaii Department of Health has implemented an incident command system to further organize the response to the molasses spill in Honolulu Harbor, Monday. An incident command post has been established at the Clean Islands Council facility near Sand Island. The incident command is comprised of representatives from the Hawaii Department of Health, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Transportation, Matson, Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The incident command has drafted and approved an incident action plan which outlines key objectives of the response and provides clear direction to all participants.
GoM Loss of Well Control Update
BSEE, Coast Guard Continue Response Coordination for Loss of Well Control Event and Rig Fire. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the U.S. Coast Guard are continuing to oversee Walter Oil & Gas Corporation’s response efforts to secure the natural gas well and extinguish the subsequent fire that started after the operator’s loss of well control Tuesday. Both BSEE and Coast Guard conducted multiple overflights today to supplement responsible party flights to maintain aerial surveillance of the scene. The natural gas well continues to fuel the fire on the rig. The derrick and drill floor structure has collapsed over the rig, and a very light sheen that dissipates quickly has been observed in the ocean.
Homeland Security May 1 Briefing, Oil Spill Response
The following is a transcript from a May 1, 3:52 p.m. EDT, press briefing by Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen, and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security John Brennan on ongoing response to the oil spill following the Deepwater Horizon incident. ADMIRAL ALLEN: Thank you, Denis. Good afternoon to you all. This afternoon it was announced that I would be the National Incident Commander for this continuing response. I'd like to provide some context at the outset and make a couple of comments about myself personally and some background that I have. And then John Brennan will make some remarks. Regarding this incident, as you all know…
Pollution Response Team to Conduct Training in Juneau
A multi-agency pollution response training event will be conducted in the Juneau area during this week from May 13-15. The exercise is being coordinated under the Preparedness for Response Exercise Program, which has established requirements for periodically exercising oil spill response contingency plans throughout the country. A joint exercise team, consisting of local oil spill response planners, has been meeting to plan this exercise since January. A specialized team of Coast Guard exercise planners from the National Strike Force Coordination Center in North Carolina facilitated the team throughout the planning process. The Juneau Delta Western facility volunteered to participate as the lead industry planner for the exercise.
