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Oil Sheen News

11 Mar 2024

Source of Huntington Beach Oil Spill Uncertain

Source: U.S. Coast Guard

The Unified Command concluded its response to an oil sheen observed offshore of Huntington Beach, California on Monday, but the source of the oil remains unclear.Over the weekend, cleanup crews recovered approximately 85 gallons of product from offshore recovery efforts and removed roughly 1,050 pounds of oily waste/sand and tar balls from the shoreline.The U.S. Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR) collected samples from the offshore sheen and tar balls along the shoreline to help determine the source of the oil.

11 Mar 2024

No Remaining Recoverable Oil Sheen Seen off California

Source: U.S. Coast Guard

The U.S.

11 Jan 2024

Flooded Engine Room Caused Fishing Vessel to Sink -NTSB

The Captain Alex pictured just after the U.S. Coast Guard arrived on scene. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

Uncontrolled flooding through a hole in the plating beneath the engine room of a fishing vessel led to its sinking in the Gulf of Mexico, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.The commercial fishing vessel Captain Alex was fishing offshore of Galveston, Texas on Nov. 25, 2022, when the vessel began flooding. The four crewmembers on board were unable to stem the flooding and evacuated to a responding U.S. Coast Guard boat. The sinking resulted in an oil sheen and debris field; a reported 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel were on board. There were no injuries.

11 Apr 2023

Charred Factory Trawler Takes on Heavy List in Tacoma

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A commercial fishing vessel that caught fire while moored in Tacoma, Wash. this weekend is now listing heavily to port as responders continue to battle the dayslong blaze.Fire broke out on board the factory trawler Kodiak Enterprise early Saturday morning, progressing throughout the ship while moored at Trident Seafoods in the Hylebos Waterway, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.Most of the fire has subsided and smoke conditions have improved significantly due to firefighting efforts…

22 Feb 2023

Lack of Spotter Led to Crane Toppling Off Barge -NTSB

(Image: NTSB)

An incident involving a crane toppling off a barge in Virginia could have been avoided if a spotter was present to notice the crane being driven too far aft, and the cable system securing the crane to the barge failed, according to a recent report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).While working on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project near Norfolk on February 8, 2022, an onboard crawler crane fell off the construction barge Carolyn Skaves and into Willoughby Bay. The crane was later recovered and declared an insurance loss of nearly $2 million.

10 Feb 2023

Salvors to Remove Partially Sunk Tug in Alaska

Tug vessel Tagish is partially submerged at the National Guard Dock in the vicinity of the Alaska Marine Lines yard in the Gastineau Channel, Juneau, Alaska, December 29, 2022. Coast Guard Sector Juneau crew members and contractors are responding the incident. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Sector Juneau)

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…

05 Dec 2022

Coast Guard Monitoring Oil Discharge from Scuttled Liberty Ship

A seasonal oil sheen on Aug. 29, 2022, near Destin, Fla. Coast Guard and Florida Department of Environmental Protection have been monitoring periodic oil discharge from Liberty Ship Thomas Heyward. (Photo: Joshua Ronkowski / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are monitoring periodic discharges of oil from the Liberty Ship Thomas Heyward, a World War II era vessel sunk in 1977 to serve as an artificial reef approximately six miles southwest of Destin, Fla.Following Hurricane Sally in September 2020, the National Response Center (NRC) began receiving reports of pollution in the vicinity of the artificial reef. Coast Guard personnel conducted preliminary investigations…

06 Oct 2021

Pipeline from California Offshore Oil Spill was Moved 32 Meters Along Sea Floor

Crude oil is shown in the Pacific Ocean offshore of Orange County, Oct. 3, 2021.



A unified command has been established to respond to and clean up the oil spill off the California coast.

Official U.S. Coast Guard photo.

A section of the oil pipeline that burst off the Southern California coast was displaced 105 feet (32 meters) across the ocean floor, officials said on Tuesday, fueling speculation that a ship's anchor may have caused the environmental disaster.The revelation came as the U.S. Coast Guard and drilling company Amplify Energy Corp came under further scrutiny about the time it took to respond to the spill, amid reports that mariners first reported seeing oil in the water on Friday night…

01 Sep 2021

Turkey and Cyprus Monitor Oil Sheen After Syria Leak

Authorities in Turkey and Cyprus are on alert for any potential pollution from a 'sheen' of fuel floating across the Mediterranean from a spill in Syria, officials said.Fuel which seeped into the sea from a thermal station off the coast of Syria on August 23 has been snaking across the Eastern Mediterranean, but any potential impact on Cyprus will depend on currents.The latest satellite images of the region provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency showed the oil sheen east of Cyprus breaking down and dissolving, the Cyprus Fisheries and Marine Research Department said.The eastern Cyprus coastline, largely unspoilt, falls within two opposing jurisdictions; an area controlled by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government and a Turkish Cypriot breakaway state recognized on

25 Feb 2021

PIL Fined $3 Million Over Felony Dumping Violations

Singapore-based shipping company Pacific International Lines (PIL) will pay $3 million in fines after pleading guilty to felony dumping violations in Hagatna, Guam.The vessel operating company and two engineers were sentenced for illegally discharging oil and for maintaining false and incomplete records relating to the discharges of oily bilge water from the containership Kota Harum in 2019. PIL, chief engineer Maung Maung Soe, and second engineer Peng Luo Hai admitted that oily bilge water was illegally dumped from the Kota Harum directly into the ocean and into Apra Harbor, Guam without being properly processed through required pollution prevention equipment.

30 Dec 2020

71-year-old Tug Sinks off Puerto Rico

A raft adrift, December 24, 2020, south of Yabucoa Harbor, Puerto Rico. Sector San Juan watchstanders received a mayday call from the 112-foot tugboat Proassist III crew stating they were taking on water with three people aboard approximately two miles south of Yabucoa Harbor, P.R. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

Three people were rescued from a 71-year-old tugboat that sank south of Puerto Rico on Thursday.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector San Juan fielded a mayday call from the crew of the 112-foot U.S.-flagged tug Proassist III, stating they were taking on water approximately two miles south of Yabucoa Harbor.A good Samaritan embarked the three people from the 1949-built tug and took them ashore with no reported injuries.On Friday, a Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen…

15 Apr 2020

Clean-up Crews Tackle Valdez Marine Terminal Oil Spill

© Tomasz Wozniak / Adobe Stock

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.

18 Dec 2019

DOJ: F/V Owner & Operator Fined $1 mln

AdobeStock / © Renaschild

Fishing Vessel Owner and Operator Plead Guilty and Fined $1 Million for Discharging Oily Waste into the Coastal Waters of the United States Sea Harvest Inc., operator of the fishing vessels Enterprise and Pacific Capes, along with Fishing Vessel Enterprises Inc., the vessels’ owner, pleaded guilty today to violating the Clean Water Act for both knowing and negligent discharges of oily bilge water from the vessels’ engine rooms. The companies were sentenced to pay a $1 million criminal fine and serve a five-year term of probation.

01 Apr 2019

USCG Warns of Tar Balls, Oil Sheen Off Rockaways

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…

17 Oct 2017

Search Suspended for Worker Missing in US Oil Platform Blast

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a worker missing from an oil production platform in Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain that exploded and caught fire late on Sunday. Missing is Timothy Morrison, 44, of Katy, Texas, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Seven other workers were sent to hospital with injuries in the incident. "The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one," Commander Zac Ford said in the statement. Coast Guard rescue crews battled 4 foot to 5 foot (1.2 meter to 1.5 meter) waves during the search, and a helicopter joined them at daybreak after overnight efforts failed to locate Morrison, officials said at a briefing on Monday.

06 Jan 2017

Photos: Oil Platform Catches Fire in the Gulf of Mexico

(Coast Guard imagery courtesy of Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile)

The U.S. Coast Guard said an oil production platform has caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico, roughly 80 miles southwest of Grand Isle, La. The fire, which broke out aboard the Ship Shoal 266 A oil production platform at approximately 2:30 a.m. Thursday, was reported to have been full extinguished by approximately 5:50 a.m., according to the rig’s owner Renaissance Offshore. There were four crew members aboard the platform who, after initial efforts to extinguish the fire, evacuated into the water aboard a life raft and were recovered by the offshore supply vessel Mary Wyatt Milano…

12 Jul 2016

Neches River Traffic Restricted due to Sunken Boat

Vessel traffic on the Neches River is restricted as a result of a shrimp boat that sank Monday morning. At approximately 3 a.m., the Captain Kevin sank in the Neches River, causing oil sheen and one minor injury. The vessel is currently located approximately 1500 feet from the end of the channel and 100 feet from the west side of the jetty. The Coast Guard has established a safety zone one-quarter mile north and one-quarter mile south of the sunken boat, spanning from jetty to jetty. Some deep draft vessels have been authorized to transit the area to determine what, if any, impacts vessel movement may have on the sunken boat. The Coast Guard is working with the Texas General Land Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, and vessel owners to recover the vessel and fuel.

03 May 2016

Oil Spill in Schuylkill River

The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies are responding Tuesday to an oil sheen in the Schuylkill River.   The Coast Guard received a report of a sheen on the river between Market Street and South Street in Philadelphia Monday, but crews were not able to locate its origin.   Agencies involved include Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, Philadelphia Fire Department and Philadelphia Police Department.

08 Feb 2016

Dye Test Planned on Potomac River Oil Sheen

The Unified Command is scheduled to conduct a dye test Monday in the Potomac River and Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary near Arlington, Virginia, which may discolor portions of the river. As part of the ongoing investigation on the source of the oil sheen in the Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary and the Potomac River, the Coast Guard and Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality will coordinate with the Arlington County Department of Environmental Services to conduct a dye test in the storm water conveyance system for the Roaches Run watershed. “The purpose of the dye test is to help identify possible source areas for the sheen observed on Roaches Run and in the Potomac River,” said Cmdr. Michael Keane, incident commander. “The dye testing will occur this morning,” added Keane.

07 Oct 2015

Search for El Faro Crew Continues, Hopes Fading

Lifeboat wreckage discovered by search crews Sunday (Image: USCG)

Responders continue the hunt for possible survivors from the missing cargo ship El Faro, which is believed to have sunk during Hurricane Joaquin. As of Tuesday night, crews have searched some 172,257 square nautical miles while scanning in the vicinity of the ship's last known position 35 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Islands, Bahamas, the Coast Guard reported. A decision on how much longer the search will continue could be announced on Wednesday afternoon, the Coast Guard said.

07 Oct 2015

LNG Tanker Smash Sinks Cargo Ship

The 2002-built, 8,850-dwt freighter Flinterstar is owned by Dutch shipping firm Flinter has sank after colliding nearly head on with the Marshall Islands-flagged LNG carrier Al-Oraiq in the North Sea off Belgium on Tuesday morning. The both vessel were in opposite directions, as the gas carrier was approaching the port fully loaded with LNG and saw the freighter from the starboard. Unfortunately Al Oraiq did not maneuvered accordingly and collided with general cargo ship, which got large breach under the waterline and sank near the scene of the accident. All 12 crew members from the freighter jumped into the water, but were rescued from the nearby vessels and patrol boats. The seamen were in good condition, but one was injured and transported to the local hospital.

06 Oct 2015

USCG Search for Missing Crew of El Faro

Coast Guard search and rescue crews continue searching for possible survivors from the cargo ship El Faro Monday night, covering a total search area of more than 160,574 square nautical miles. While searching in the vicinity of the ship's last known position 35 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Islands, Bahamas, the Coast Guard located a deceased person in a survival suit in the water. A heavily damaged life boat with markings consistent with those on board the El Faro was also located Sunday. Additional items located by Coast Guard aircrews within a 225 square nautical mile search area include a partially submerged life raft, life jackets, life rings, cargo containers and an oil sheen Sunday. Coast Guard Cutter Resolute, a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in St.

04 Oct 2015

Debris Appears to Belong to Cargo Ship Missing in Bahamas

Search and rescue teams on Sunday located debris which appeared to belong to the cargo ship El Faro that went missing in the eye of Hurricane Joaquin with 33 mostly American crew members aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard and the ship's owner said. Life jackets, containers and an oil sheen were spotted by U.S. Coast Guard aircrews flying over the Bahamas on the third day of their search for the container ship. There had been no sighting of the El Faro or any life boats, Tote Maritime Puerto Rico president, Tim Nolan, said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers remain with the 33 individuals aboard the ship and their families," he added.