Oil Spill at Port of Los Angeles
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a report of an oil spill in the Los Angeles Harbor, Thursday morning.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach command center received a report at 10:48 a.m. of an unknown quantity of oily-water mixture coming from a holding tank residing on the Vopak Terminal.
Coast Guard investigators from Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach are currently investigating the report.
A majority of the oil released has been reported as being contained on the pier, however, some of the oil water mixture entered the water.
Oil spill response organizations including the National Response Corporation, Ocean Blue, and Patriot Environmental are conducting clean-up operations using oil skimmers and absorbent pads. Containment boom was also deployed around the tanker ship TULA to minimize the spread of pollution.
The tanker ship, TULA, is currently moored inside the Vopak Terminal. Cleaning the TULA is a priority and the vessel has been issued a restricted in movement and has been ordered not to leave port until it has been properly decontaminated.