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Oil Release News

08 Apr 2024

US Coast Guard Gives All Clear After Louisiana Spill Response

A Main Pass Gathering Company, LLC Panther helicopter conducts an overflight to observe visible sheen off the coast of Louisiana, Nov. 18, 2023. (Source: US Coast Guard)

The Unified Command completed a line integrity test on the Main Pass Oil Gathering (MPOG) company's pipeline system near Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday."Following a successful line integrity test of the MPOG line, the Unified Command has stood down its work to respond to the oil release observed on November 16," they added.A line integrity test confirms that all points are leak-free.In Nov 2023 an oil spill was reported near the…

19 Dec 2023

NTSB Recommends Pipeline Operators Implement Safety Management Systems

Six segments of damaged pipeline that were removed for replacement. The leak site, circled in red, was observed on the segment shown wrapped in a tarp. (Photo: NTSB)

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is recommending new notification alarms and procedures for potential incursions on pipelines and a change to an anchorage off the California coast following a crude oil release in 2021 caused by ship anchors damaging an underwater pipeline.NTSB investigators determined that the oil leak, which began on October 1, 2021, in San Pedro Bay, resulted from an anchor strike on the pipeline that occurred eight months earlier, when anchors…

29 Jul 2022

100-year-old Ferry Sinks in Astoria, Ore.

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A 100-year-old, out-of-service passenger ferry Tourist No. 2 capsized in the Columbia River while moored near Astoria, Ore. on Thursday. There were no passengers on board.The U.S. Coast Guard said it is responding and that an investigation into the cause of the sinking is underway.A good Samaritan deployed a boom to contain an initial oil release and minimize potential impact to the environment, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Diolanda Caballero, 13th Coast Guard District External Affairs…

20 May 2021

New Report Helps UK MCA Prepare for Offshore Oil Spill Challenges

Credit: Xodus Group

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) future oil spill response plan will be informed by a new report that maps out possible threats to the UK's coastal areas, marine life, and traffic as a result of hydrocarbon releases from energy industry operation and shipping.The report on the review of the hydrocarbon release risk on the UKCS over the next decade was delivered for the MCA, by Xodus Group, in association with London Marine Consultants.The review evaluated the risk of a serious mineral oil release occurring in UK waters from vessels of more than 1…

19 Apr 2019

Oil Spill Dispersant Market to Reach $23.6bln by 2026

The global Oil Spill Dispersant Market is anticipated to grow at a constant CAGR around 3% during the forecast period 2019 to 2026 and reach the market value around USD 23.6 billion.The growth of the market for oil spillers depends directly on the frequency, the time and volume of petroleum spill events, said a market report by Acumen Research and Consulting.Oil pollution is a common term for seawater, land water or land contamination due to oil release due to an accident or human error. Oil contamination is spread throughout the world and is boiled both onshore and offshore. The number of major oil spills annually decreases since the last ten years, but very frequent small oil spills are mainly driving the market for petroleum spills.

17 May 2016

BSEE Panel for Oil Release in GoM

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is continuing its investigation of the oil release from Shell Offshore Inc.’s Glider Field on May 12. The Glider Field, located approximately 97 miles south of Port Fourchon, LA, includes subsea wells and the field’s production flows to the Brutus Platform. BSEE Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Lars Herbst formally established an Investigative Panel May 16. The seven-member panel is comprised of BSEE engineers, inspectors, and investigators. The panel will conduct a thorough investigation of the incident in order to identify the causes and any contributing issues that led to the release.

26 May 2015

Second Sea Lion Rescued from California Oil Spill Dies at SeaWorld

A second sea lion rescued from along California's oil-fouled coastline near Santa Barbara has died at SeaWorld San Diego, where veterinarians are still caring for 15 surviving marine mammals brought in for treatment, a spokesman said on Tuesday. The petroleum-stained pinnipeds are among the earliest apparent wildlife casualties documented from a pipeline rupture that dumped as much as 2,400 barrels (101,000 gallons or 382,327 liters) of crude oil onto the shoreline and into the ocean west of Santa Barbara one week ago. The spill left an oil slick stretching for more than 9 miles (14.5 km) along the coast and forced the indefinite closure of two popular beaches. The area also has been placed off-limits to fishing and shellfish harvesting.

22 May 2015

SoCal Beach Cleanup Could Take Months

The U.S. Coast Guard captain overseeing cleanup of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture that closed two California state beaches and fouled offshore waters near Santa Barbara said on Thursday it may take months to restore the area to its natural condition. Up to 2,500 barrels (105,000 gallons) of crude petroleum, according to latest estimates, gushed onto San Refugio State Beach and into the Pacific about 20 miles (32 km) west of Santa Barbara on Tuesday when an underground pipeline that runs along the coastal highway burst. As much as a fifth of the amount was believed to have reached the ocean, leaving oil slicks that stretched for more than 9 miles (15 km) along the coast.

23 Apr 2015

Marathassa Released After Vancouver Bunker Spill

The Cyprus-flagged  cargo ship M/V Marathassa — which has been blamed for spilling several thousand litres of bunker fuel into English Bay — has been released by the Canadian Coast Guard. The vessel headed to a berth in Vancouver Harbour to be loaded with grain before departing on its next voyage. The bulker had been ordered to remain berthed following the spill earlier this month. "The incident command science and environment teams have concluded that further efforts to remove this ring would necessitate the use of chemicals which was deemed to be unacceptable to partner agencies represented at incident command," the Coast Guard said. The agency added that when the M/V Marathassa departs, it will also be accompanied by an environmental response vessel in case of further leakage.

30 Jan 2013

Lower Mississippi Oil Spill Update

The unified command continues response to a crude oil spill near mile marker 436 in Vicksburg, Miss. The tow-barge that is on scene has started removing fuel from the damaged barge MOC-12, which will be inspected and prepared for transit to a maritime facility nearby Vicksburg after oil removal operations are complete. “Despite the response crew efforts to contain the seeping oil, an unspecified amount has broken through the containment boom due to the difficulties of working on a dynamic and powerful river current,” said Capt. William Drelling, Federal On Scene Commander for the Vicksburg oil spill. Response crews have deployed 2,800-feet of boom to contain further oil release. Skimming vessels have recovered approximately 3,900 gallons of oil-water mixture since the incident occurred.

12 Oct 2011

ROV Deployed on WWII Era Wreck

Global Diving and Salvage Inc. has been contracted by the United States Coast Guard to determine if oil is present aboard the sunken ship S.S. Montebello, which sits 900 feet below the ocean surface approximately 6.5 miles off the coast of Cambria, California. The S.S. Montebello sank after a Japanese submarine torpedoed the large oil tanker on December 23, 1941. The vessel broke apart landing upright with her bow separated from the majority of the wreckage. To date, no signs of leakage have been detected, and from previous visual inspections by submarine, the cargo section appears to be intact. The possibility of future oil release has prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to contract Global to determine the integrity of the cargo section and its contents. Coast Guard Capt.

11 Oct 2011

ROV Sent to Determine Oil at 900 Feet

ROV will be used in an attempt to determine if oil is present on sunken WWII tanker. Global Diving and Salvage Inc. has been contracted by the United States Coast Guard to determine if oil is present aboard the sunken ship S.S. Montebello, which sits 900 feet below the ocean surface approximately 6.5 miles off the coast of Cambria, California. The S.S. Montebello sank after a Japanese submarine torpedoed the large oil tanker on December 23, 1941. The vessel broke apart landing upright with her bow separated from the majority of the wreckage. To date, no signs of leakage have been detected, and from previous visual inspections by submarine, the cargo section appears to be intact. The possibility of future oil release has prompted the U.S.

28 Jul 2010

U.S. Coast Guard Responds to Wellhead Allision

Photo courtesy USCG

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating an allision between a towing vessel and a wellhead in the Barataria Waterway at approximately 1 a.m., July 27. The tug vessel Pere Ana C, pushing the dredge barge Captain Buford Berry, allided with the wellhead while it transited the Barataria Waterway. The wellhead is currently emanating oil and natural gas into Barataria Bay. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans issued a Broadcast Notice to Mariners that a report of oil release was detected. An…

12 Nov 1999

Millennium Class Tanker Christened

ARCO Marine, Inc. unveiled its first state-of-the-art Millennium Class tanker at a christening ceremony at Litton Avondale Industries in metro New Orleans. The 125,000 dwt crude oil tankers are setting the standard for safety at sea, with double hulls, twin engine rooms, twin propellers, twin rudders and a sophisticated navigation and control system, which allows the control of the ship from a single joystick. The sponsor is Teresa Sullivan, wife of John Sullivan, vice-president engineering, ARCO Marine. She christened ARCO Endeavour with the traditional champagne bottle. The Millennium Class "next generation" tankers measure 895 ft. in length, with a beam of 152 ft. and a depth of 83 ft.

29 Oct 1999

Millennium Class Tanker Christened

ARCO Marine, Inc. unveiled its first state-of-the-art Millennium Class tanker at a christening ceremony at Litton Avondale Industries in metro New Orleans. The 125,000 dwt crude oil tankers are setting the standard for safety at sea, with double hulls, twin engine rooms, twin propellers, twin rudders and a sophisticated navigation and control system, which allows the control of the ship from a single joystick. The sponsor is Teresa Sullivan, wife of John Sullivan, vice-president engineering, ARCO Marine. She christened ARCO Endeavour with the traditional champagne bottle. The Millennium Class "next generation" tankers measure 895 ft. (272.7 m) in length, with a beam of 152 ft.(46.3 m) and a depth of 83 ft.

31 Mar 2011

Registration Open for Wrecks of the World II: June 6-7

Registration is now open for the American Salvage Association (ASA) and the North American Marine Environmental Protection Association (NAMEPA) co-sponsored conference, “Wrecks of the World II (WOW II): Evaluating and Addressing Potential Underwater Threats” to be held on Monday, June 6 and Tuesday, June 7 at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in the Washington, DC area (Linthicum Heights, MD) USA. The conferencewill explore the myriad issues (pollution threat, regulatory, risk assessment, oil removal and remediation, implications to the environment, legal, insurance and funding issues, next steps) related to the more than 8,500 sunken vessels in the world, many of them World War II-era.

05 Aug 2003

Marine Response Alliance Member Titan Maritime Wins Award

the recovery of oil from the sunken vessel S/S JACOB LUCKENBACH. award at the annual meeting of the Task Force in Honolulu July 22. response resulting in enhanced environmental protection. partnerships and involve the public are favored. Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii. 2003 Award. southwest of the Golden Gate Bridge, in 175 feet of water. last two decades. Response, and the California State Lands Commission. contract with the U.S. Coast Guard. the oil inside a tank, and pump the oil to the surface. minimal risk of oil release. The difficult and often dangerous work continued for four months. worldwide. sensitive wildlife will be protected from exposure to oil spills. others in industry, government, and the public to emulate.

12 Sep 2003

Restoration Begins for T/V Westchester Spill

Federal and Louisiana agencies settled with Marine Oil Trader 3, Ltd. and Ermis Maritime Corp. for the November 2000 T/V Westchester oil spill into the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, La. With oversight from the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of the Interior’s U.S. restoration projects to address the resources injured by the spill. On Nov. 28, 2000, the T/V Westchester grounded in the Mississippi River at River Mile 38, discharging approximately 500,000 gallons of crude oil into the Mississippi River downstream from New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish, La. hunting opportunities. to conduct a natural resource damage assessment to identify and restore injured natural resources.

02 Mar 2007

M/V Songa Hua Oil Cleanup Continues in Puget Sound

Response teams continue to clean up an oil spill around and underneath Pier 91 at Smith Cove in Elliott Bay today. The main area of impact of the oil appears to be contained underneath Pier 91 of the Port of Seattle. The cleanup is being coordinated with the Port of Seattle. The assessment and labor intensive cleanup of the impacted shoreline is to continue into Friday and possibly the weekend. Cleanup crews are aggressively working to remove all the spilled oil on the deck and hull of the Songa Hua, and have recovered approximately one gallon of the spilled intermediate fuel oil from Elliott Bay, while oil stains and some recoverable oil are visible on the cement pilings underneath pier 91 and along the rocky "rip-rap" on the shore.

01 Sep 2009

Wrecks of the World: Hidden Risks of the Deep

The American Salvage Association (ASA), supported by the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI), International Salvage Union (ISU), Marine Technology Society (MTS), Maritime Law Association of the United States (MLA), North American Marine Environmental Protection Association (NAMEPA), Spill Control Association of America (SCAA), Maritime Technology Alliance (MTA), and the World Ocean Council (WOC), will sponsor a conference, “Wrecks of the  World: Hidden Risks of the Deep (WOW)” on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in the Washington, DC area (Linthicum Heights, MD) USA.