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Strike Team News

09 Jun 2022

US Oil Spill Testing, Response Facility Gets Major Upgrade

A crane replaces a bridge over the Ohmsett Oil Spill Response & Renewable Energy Test facility during refurbishment in spring 2022. (Photo: BSEE)

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility, known as Ohmsett, has now reopened after undergoing significant refurbishment over the past eight months as part of BSEE’s ongoing maintenance plan. Originally constructed and operated by the U.S. EPA in 1974, the facility was passed to the U.S. Navy and then to the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service in 1990. Today, it is the only facility in the U.S. conducting full-scale oil spill response research, equipment testing and training using live oil.

05 Sep 2021

Divers to Try to Locate Oil Spill Source in U.S. Gulf of Mexico

Illustration only - Credit: vejaa/AdobeStock

A private dive team will try to locate the source of a suspected oil spill spotted in the Bay Marchand area of the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, after Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc in the region this week, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Saturday.U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite images, first reported by the Associated Press on Wednesday, showed a miles-long brownish-black slick spreading in coastal waters about two miles off Port Fourchon, Louisiana, an oil…

01 Jun 2021

Waterways Commerce Cutter: It's Time for an Upgrade

USCGC Smilax is an inland construction tender commissioned in 1944. Smilax is the “Queen of the Fleet”, as the oldest commissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutter. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

In the last week of April, with little fanfare, the U.S. Coast Guard released a much-anticipated opportunity to build up to 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters. After the detailed design and construction contract is awarded in Spring of 2022, a lucky shipbuilder will begin replacing the Coast Guard’s eclectic fleet of 18 venerable river buoy tenders (WLR) and 13 inland construction tenders (WLIC).The Coast Guard’s inland waterways maintenance fleet has been ignored for far too long.

29 Apr 2019

RMG to Assess Ship Wreck Leaking Oil Off 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…

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…

18 Jan 2019

U.S. Government Shutdown: Assessing the Impact on Maritime

Family and friends met aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf's flight deck to reunite with Bertholf crewmembers following the cutter's return home to Alameda, Calif., after a 90-day deployment, Sept. 4, 2018. Bertholf is one of four 418-foot National Security Cutters homeported in Alameda. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty  Family and friends met aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf's flight deck to reunite with Bertholf crewmembers following the cutter's return home to Alameda, Calif., after a

On December 22, 2018, a continuing resolution passed by Congress to fund a portion of the U.S. Government into the 2019 fiscal year expired and was not renewed resulting in a partial federal government shutdown. Among the affected Executive Departments are the Department of Homeland Security (which includes the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection), the Department of Transportation (which includes the Maritime Administration), the Department of Interior (which includes the Bureau of Environment and Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM))…

06 Apr 2018

Response to Mackinac Spill Continues

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Pamela Manns

A U.S. Coast Guard marine science technician and an environmental quality analyst for Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality surveyed the Straits of Mackinac onboard a vessel Thursday. The responders did not identify any mineral oil sheens, signs of pollution, or adverse impacts to the environment or wildlife. Earlier this week, hundreds of gallons of mineral oil has been released from a leaking underwater utility line in Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac. Members of the U.S.

28 Aug 2016

Coast Guard Foundation Awarded 128 Scholarships

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that in 2016 it has awarded a record 128 new scholarships. Combined with multi-year scholarship recipients and three Fallen Heroes Scholars, the Foundation is currently supporting 163 students totaling $576,500 in support this year. In just over 26 years, the Foundation's scholarship program has paid out more than $3.8 million to more than 630 college-aged young adults to help the families of Coast Guard members achieve their goals of higher education. Of the students receiving Foundation assistance…

27 Oct 2015

Update: Crews Examining Discharge from Sunken Barge

Discoloration on Lake Erie from an unknown source as seen from the air from an overflight conducted by crews from Coast Guard Air Station Detroit, Oct. 24, 2015. The discoloration was believed to be emanating from a nearby sunken barge. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Marine Safety Unit Toledo)

Crews continue to investigate a reported discharge of an unknown substance from the site of a sunken barge near Kelley's Island Shoal in Lake Erie, Monday. The Unified Command, consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Ohio EPA, is continuing to take all necessary actions to ensure the safety of the public and the environment, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a press release. At 9:30 a.m., members of the Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team and a crew from Coast Guard Station Marblehead…

26 Oct 2015

USCG Investigating Unknown Substance in Lake Erie

The Coast Guard is responding to a report of a discharge of an unknown substance from the site of a sunken barge near Kelley's Island Shoal in Lake Erie, Sunday. Due to the report, the Coast Guard has established a safety zone 3 nautical miles east of Kelley's Island Shoal extending 1,000 feet around position 41-38'21"N, 082-29'35"W. Friday evening crews at Marine Safety Unit Toledo, Ohio, received a report from the Cleveland Underwater Explorers, of a leak of an unknown substance emanating from the barge and an odor of solvent, but they did not observe the leak underwater. CLUE divers were investigating the wreck to determine if it was the barge Argo which sank during a storm in 1937.

19 Sep 2014

USCG Cutter in Oregon Spill Drill

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Fir, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Astoria, Oregon, participated in a Spilled Oil Response System exercise near Blake Island, Washington, Wednesday. The exercise was part of an annual response exercise and included members of the Coast Guard 13th District Response Advisor Team, Pacific Strike Team out of Novato, California, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Washington State Department of Ecology, Harley Marine Service Inc., Navy Region Northwest, Washington State Ferries, and the Marine Spill Response Corporation.

18 Jun 2014

CG Units To Participate In Coastal Trident 2014

The Coast Guard is scheduled to participate in training exercises Thursday, in the vicinity of Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) San Diego 91109 will partner with U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection, Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) as participants in the Center for Asymmetric Warfare exercise Coastal Trident 2014. The Pacific Strike Team (PST) and National Guard 9th Civil Support Team will practice first aid and decontamination capabilities. MSST San Diego was created under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 in direct response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and is a part of the Department of Homeland Security’s layered strategy directed at protecting seaports and waterways.

04 Feb 2014

Securing Super Bowl XLVIII

A Coast Guard maritime safety and security team patrols the Hudson River. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Himes.

New York-based Coast Guard units are no strangers when it comes to assisting with large-scale events in the area, but for the first time in history, area crews put in a team effort alongside local New York and New Jersey authorities to safeguard a Super Bowl event. Having provided security for the United Nations General Assembly, Macy’s Fourth of July Firework display, Fleet Week and the NYC Marathon in previous years, the opportunity for the Coast Guard’s assets to assist with Super Bowl XLVIII was also a success. “We’re here to protect our citizens,” said Lt. Cmdr. Luis E.

07 Jan 2014

Spill Response Discussion with SCAA President Scott Metzger

Scott Metzger has been with Clean Harbors Environmental Services for more than 22 years. He is the Senior Vice President, Emergency Services and holds an oversight role for the Clean Harbors National Strike Team that manages environmental incidents. When not deployed on an event, Scott is focused on ER preparedness, readiness, training and the strategic development of response teams. And now, as the President of the Spill Control Association of America (SCAA), he’s got even more on his plate. Couple this with the advent of the U.S.

11 Sep 2013

Coast Guard, Partners Complete Arctic Oil Recovery Exercise

Coast Guard Cutter Healy deckhands prepare to lower an unmanned underwater vehicle, operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, into the Beaufort Sea. WHOI scientists used the UUV to monitor ice conditions from below during the simulated exercise. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Grant DeVuyst)

Members of the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, under the guidance of the Coast Guard’s recently released Arctic Strategy, worked with partner federal agencies and scientific organizations to successfully complete a simulated spilled oil response and recovery exercise aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy on the Arctic ice field Tuesday. The exercise involved air, surface and underwater assets to simulate the detection and recovery of oil from ice-strewn water. Assets…

10 Sep 2013

Industry, Government Collaborate on Long Island Sound Casualty Simulation

On September 17, McAllister Towing and Reinauer Transportation will be partnering with the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound and Sector New York in a major simulated marine accident and pollution incident on the waters of Long Island Sound. Responders will be faced with a simulated grounding and subsequent oil spill impacting the waters and shoreline of Connecticut and New York. The exercise is part of the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP), a voluntary program bringing together industry and government to meet the exercise and preparedness requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, legislation enacted following the Exxon Valdez.

14 Mar 2013

Coast Guard Responds to Allision, Pipeline Fire South of New Orleans

Photo: USCG

Responders continued to monitor and prepare salvage, firefighting and pollution contingencies for a tug and barge that allided with a pipeline near Bayou Perot 30 miles south of New Orleans Wednesday. All crew members were able to exit the tug; the captain reportedly suffered second to third-degree degree burns. ES & H, the oil spill response organization, is on scene and has mobilized 7,218 feet of containment boom and 6,000 feet of 18-inch containment boom, one cabin boat, five responder class boats, one Marco skimmer and two 24-foot express hull vessels in response to the incident.

15 Feb 2013

Coast Guard Completes Escort of Carnival Triumph

The Coast Guard escorted the disabled Carnival Triumph to the Alabama Cruise Ship Terminal in Mobile Thursday evening. The tug vessel Roland Falgout and four assist tugs towed the Triumph to the Alabama Cruise Terminal following more than a 100-hour voyage from Cozumel, Mexico to Mobile. Resources used to assist the Triumph: The 210-foot Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous and crew, homeported in Cape May, N.J.; Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile MH-60T crew; The 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Stingray crew; Three Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island 45-foot Response Boat — Medium crews; One Coast Guard Station Pascagoula boatcrew; Coast Guard Gulf Strike Team. The Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous arrived on scene Sunday night and safely medevaced one passenger to the Carnival Legend.

29 Jan 2013

Lower Mississippi Closure Due to Oil Spill

Tugboat 'Endeavor': Photo courtesy of Nature's Way Marine

US Coast Guard's unified command is dealing with a crude oil spill from a damaged barge in Vicksburg, Miss. The barge had earlier been damaged through contact with a bridge support while in tow, and the Mississippi River remains closed to all traffic for a 16-mile distance between mile marker 425 and mile marker 441 near Vicksburg. Currently there are 21 northbound and 34 southbound vessels affected due to the river closure. A lightering and salvage plan has been approved by the unified command and multiple response crews have been dispatched to begin removing oil from the barge.

28 Jan 2013

UPDATE: Coast Guard Responding Mississippi Allision / Spill

The unified command continues to respond to a crude oil spill in the lower Mississippi River near mile marker 434 in Vicksburg, Miss., Monday. Tank soundings indicated that the barge is still leaking product into the waterway. Containment boom has been deployed around the area at the leak and skimmers are being used to recover product. Personnel from Sector Lower Mississippi River, Marine Safety Detachment Vicksburg and the Coast Guard Gulf Strike Team from Mobile, Ala., are on scene and continue to assess the size of the spill and oversee cleanup operation. The tank levels are being constantly monitored for further leakage. The leaking tank contained approximately 80,000 gallons of light crude oil.

29 Mar 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - March 28

* 1968- The Secretary of Transportation released his Report on Recreational Boat Safety. The report contained a detailed explanation of the proposed legislation and the programs the department intended to undertake if the proposal was adopted. * 1993-A Colonial Pipeline Company pipe ruptured, spilling 400,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the Sugarland Run creek in Herndon, Virginia. The EPA requested the assistance from the National Strike Force. Other units mobilized for the clean-up operation included a helicopter from AIRSTA Cape May, an air-eye HU-25 from AIRSTA Cape Cod, personnel from MSO Baltimore, the CGC Capstan, and reservists from the region. The strike team used the new DESMI 250 skimmer and pump to control the spill.

18 Mar 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - March 18

1909-  Stations Holly Beach, and Hereford Inlet, New Jersey: the schooner C.B. parted its chain while weighing anchor. She set a distress signal which was discovered by the lookouts at both stations. The surfboats proceeded to the scene and surfmen swept for the chain and assisted in securing it on board. 1943- USS Ingham, CG, rescued all hands from the torpedoed SS Matthew Luckenbach. 1967-The 378-foot high endurance cutter Hamilton, first in her class, was commissioned. This was the first class of major vessels in the U.S. government's inventory that were powered by jet turbines. 1991- CGC Cape Hatteras (WPB 95305) was decommissioned on 18 March 1991. She was the last 95-foot patrol boat in the Coast Guard. She was then transferred to Mexico.

10 Feb 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – February 10

1840- A House resolution was introduced to inquire into transferring the Revenue Marine to the Navy. 1992- Retired Coast Guard Chief Journalist Alex Haley, internationally noted author and the first person to ever hold that rate in the Coast Guard, crossed the bar. 1995-The 689-foot tank ship Mormac Star, carrying more than 4.7 million gallons of Jet A fuel and nearly 5.7 million gallons of number 2 diesel fuel, ran aground in Sandy Hook Channel, two miles off the beaches of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, spilling 33,600 gallons. COTP New York responded. Other responding units included Stations New York and Sandy Hook, VTS New York, and the Atlantic Area Strike Team. The spill was successfully contained and the vessel salvaged.