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Oil Spill Removal Organization News

31 Oct 2023

Grounded Cargo Ship Refloated in the Caribbean

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A cargo ship that ran aground off St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this month has been refloated and towed to a safe mooring location at the Crown Bay Sandfill dock, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Vessel owners and salvors will now coordinate further operations to remove the damaged cargo, remaining oil and conduct further salvage or repair operations for the Bonnie G.The Vanuatu-flagged vessel began taking on water and ran aground on October 4, leading the 12 people on board to be rescued after abandoning ship. No injuries were reported.To refloat the Bonnie G, DonJon-SMIT, Inc.

17 Jul 2023

Capsized Towboat Spills Diesel in Alabama

Containment boom limits diesel discharge from a partially sunken tugboat in Florence, Alabama, July 17, 2023. The Coast Guard and partner agencies responded to the fuel discharge, which has a maximum potential spill of 2,500 gallons. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Marine Safety Detachment Nashville)

A partially sunken towboat is discharging diesel fuel near Florence, Ala.The U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday it is responding to the incident alongside partner agencies after Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received notification at approximately 2 p.m. Sunday from RMB Marine Services reporting the towboat Michael R had partially sank in the Port of Florence, adjacent to mile marker 257 on the Tennessee River.Pollution responders from Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Nashville…

01 Dec 2022

Scania to Power MSRC's Oil Response Vessels

(Photo: Scania)

Engine manufacturer Scania on Thursday announced it has been selected by Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) to power its new fleet of five 47-foot Skimmer oil response vessels, built by Rozema Boat Works. Powered by twin DI13 087M 700hp engines provided by Cascade Engine Center, the new vessels will be delivered in 2023.Formed in conjunction with the Marine Preservation Association in 1990 by oil and gas companies, MSRC is a not-for-profit organization with U.S. Coast Guard OSRO classification in every U.S. captain of the port zone except Alaska.

09 Aug 2022

Oil Tank Platform Collapses, Oil Spills in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana

(U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo)

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to an oil spill after an oil tank platform collapsed at the Hilcorp Caillou Island facility in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana, on Monday.Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Houma personnel initially received a notification from the National Response Center stating the platform experienced a structural failure causing a tank to fall into the water and spill the oil. Environmental Safety & Health Consulting Services has been hired as the oil spill removal organization.

17 Nov 2020

Partially Sunken Tug Leaking Oil in St. Croix

Coast Guard pollution response personnel from Resident Inspection Office St Croix assess the pollution threat from the partially sunken tugboat Cape Lookout Nov. 13, 2020, which partially sank at the St. Croix Renaissance Group facility within Krause Lagoon in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. (U.S. Coast Guard photos)

An abandoned, partially sunken tugboat is actively discharging oil within Krause Lagoon in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.The amount of oil discharged from the tug Cape Lookout remains unknown, while the maximum potential discharge based on the size of the vessel fuel and lube oil tanks is approximately 48,000 gallons of fuel and 2,000 gallons of lube oil, the Coast Guard said, adding it is unknown how full both tanks are at this time.“Due to the immediate pollution threat this vessel represents to the environment and surrounding area…

15 Nov 2019

OSV Collides With Tug Near Port Arthur

An estimate of 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel has been spilled as the result of a collision between an offshore supply vessel (OSV) and a tug near Port Arthur Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Friday.The Coast Guard said it is responding to the incidenct after its watchstanders at Sector Houston-Galveston received a report of a collision involving the OSV Cheramie Botruc 22 and tug vessel Mariya Moran near the entrance to Sabine Pass, Texas, Thursday morning.Personnel from Coast Guard Station Sabine, Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur, Texas General Land Office, Oil Spill Removal Organization, OMI Environmental Solutions and…

01 Mar 2018

Unified Command to Tackle Oil Spill in Shuyak Strait, Alaska

Coast Guard and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation have established a Unified Command in response to an oil spill 49 miles north of Kodiak in Shuyak Strait, Tuesday. The spill reportedly occurred Monday morning after an abandoned building collapsed during extreme weather conditions. An oil fuel bladder located inside the building fell in the water releasing a max potential of 3,000 gallons of bunker C fuel oil. Coast Guard, ADEC and Alaska Chadux Corporation personnel are currently responding to the fuel release. A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew conducted an overflight of the area. The Coast Guard opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and contracted with Alaska Chadux…

14 Aug 2017

Cargo Ship Runs Aground in Saint Marys River

The 629-foot cargo vessel Calumet sits hard aground in the St. Mary's River southeast of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, while a Coast Guard response boat - medium encircles the vessel, August 10, 2017. The vessel was heading to its next port of call in Brevort, Michigan when it ran aground. (US Coast Guard photo)

The St. Marys River is closed to commercial vessels from the Soo Locks to 6 Mile Point, after a 629-foot U.S. cargo ship ran aground on the north side of Sugar Island, Wednesday, at about 11:40 p.m. The merchant vessel, Calumet, departed Essar Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. and was transiting downbound on the St. Marys River to its next port of call in Brevort, Mich., when it ran aground. The vessel was not carrying any cargo. There was no pollution, and no injuries have been reported. The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring the vessel, and the U.S.

30 Mar 2017

USCG Recognizes T&T Marine Salvage’s Capabilities

ARGO Contaminated Water Diving Operations (Photo: T&T Marine Salvage)

T&T Marine Salvage, a member company of the Teichman Group, founded in 1957, received a new certification by the U.S. Coast Guard to detect and recover non-floating oils. T&T is the first Coast Guard recognized Salvage and Marine Firefighting service provider to receive this new Oil Spill Removal Organization classification initiated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2016. This new certification is in recognition of T&T’s years of experience conducting non-floating oil detection and recovery operations and their expansive inventory of hydrographic…

19 Dec 2014

Interview: Oil Spill Repsonse Insights from MSRC's Benze: Steven T. Benz, President and CEO, Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC)

Steve Benz, president and CEO, MSRC

As President and CEO of MSRC, Steve Benz presides over the largest oil spill response company in the United States (and worldwide). In that position since January 1996, he has during that tenure, overseen several critical phases in the Company’s evolution. These include a major restructuring in the late 1990s to make it more competitive; growth throughout the 2000-2009 period, including acquisition of several companies; leadership in overseeing MSRC’s role in responding to the 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico…

22 Jul 2014

OSRO: The Child of Necessity

Dennis Bryant

Most people in the maritime industry in the United States are familiar with the concept of the Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO). It is one of the many quiet successes of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) and has enhanced the prompt and efficient cleanup of spills of oil and hazardous materials into waters of the United States. The curious thing about OSROs is that they are not mentioned in OPA 90. OSROs, as a recognized industry, were created following enactment of OPA…

04 Feb 2014

USCG Cutter Spills Diesel Fuel

Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw (Photo: USCG)

The Coast Guard reported a diesel fuel discharge Tuesday afternoon from the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw while the ship was taking on fuel in the Detroit River in the vicinity of the Ambassador Bridge. The crew immediately secured the source of fuel and conducted initial clean-up operations onboard. Crewmembers also deployed boom around the fuel to prevent further spread. Coast Guard Sector Detroit pollution responders currently on scene estimate that 200-300 gallons entered the water.

08 Jan 2014

Non-tank Vessel Response Rules – Their Impact Examined

Long awaited, much hyped, the new rules require compliance in January. Will industry and more importantly, the response community, be ready? In September, the U.S. Coast Guard published the long awaited Non-tank Vessel Response Plan (NTVRP) and Other Response Plan regulations. The U.S. Coast Guard cites “Improved preparedness and reaction to an incident, including a worst case discharge, and improved effectiveness of shore-side and onboard response activities” as the primary benefits of the new rule. For all affected vessels, a mandatory compliance date of January 30, 2014 looms large the porthole. The regulations impact self-propelled non-tank vessels of 400 gross tons or greater that operate in navigable waters of the United States and carry any kind of oil as fuel for main propulsion.

30 Dec 2013

USCG: M/V Orsula successfully refloated, no pollution or injuries

The Coast Guard oversaw the successful refloating of the motor vessel Orsula, which was completed Sunday. The Orsula, a 656-foot Marshall Islands flagged ship, ran aground in the vicinity of Tibbets Point in the St. Lawrence Seaway, Christmas Day. At about 5:50 p.m., response personnel from Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Massena, N.Y., reported the successful refloating of the vessel to prevention branch personnel at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y. The vessel is currently making way toward Montreal and is being escorted by the tug Salvor.

23 Oct 2013

Tow Vessel Sinks on the Mississippi

The Coast Guard is assisting in the response of a capsized 65-foot tow vessel, Tuesday. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a report around 9 a.m of a capsized vessel near mile marker 98 in the lower Mississippi River, adjacent to Louisiana Avenue Wharf. The tow vessel Kristin Alexis capsized with five crewmembers aboard. Good Samaritan vessels arrived on scene and rescued the five crewmembers from the capsized vessel. All five crewmembers reported no injuries. The sunken tow vessel is outside the navigable channel, and the waterway remains open to vessel traffic at this time. An oil spill removal organization deployed boom and sorbent materials to mitigate any environmental impacts. A salvage company is on scene to ensure the vessel remains secure overnight.

01 Oct 2013

NRC, Resolve Expand Firefighting and Oil Spill Response

National Response Corporation (NRC) and Resolve Marine Group announce the expansion of their 1Call response coverage for all vessels trading in U.S. waters. The service offers tanker and nontank vessel owners and operators full, single-source coverage in compliance with latest U.S. Coast Guard regulations for Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF), and Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO). This announcement reflects the U.S. Coast Guard’s final rule in the Nontank Vessel Response Plans and Other Response Plan Requirements published in the Federal Register. The rule requires owners or operators of vessels trading in U.S. waters to submit response plans naming OSRO and SMFF providers by January 30, 2014.

29 Oct 2010

ENPRO Renews Environmental Services Contract with USCG

ENPRO Services, Inc., a firm specializing in the management of oil and hazardous waste, announced the extension of their long-standing contract to provide environmental services to the United States Coast Guard. The services ENPRO provides to the Coast Guard include containment, mitigation and cleanup of oil and hazardous material spills in New England waterways. ENPRO also holds certifications with the Coast Guard as a pre-qualified Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) and ship-to-shore transfer contractor for the First Coast Guard District, which includes Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont.

19 Aug 2003

Panama Canal Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plans

The Panama Canal Authority issued an Advisory stating that a new Section Four has been added to Chapter IX of the Regulation on Navigation in Panama Canal Waters. The new articles require vessels transiting the Canal to have Panama Canal Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plans (PCSOPEPs), among other things. The PCSOPEPs must include identification of the oil spill removal organization (OSRO) previously reviewed by the Panama Canal Authority and hired by the vessel to conduct appropriate cleanup tasks in the event of an oil spill. The PCSOPEP must be submitted for review by the Authority. The new requirements come into effect on January 1, 2004. Source: HK Law

27 Jul 1999

Relocation of Oil Spill Response Vessel

The Marine Spill Response Corp. (MSRC), the country's largest oil spill response organization, will relocate one of its 210 ft. oil spill response vessels (OSRV) to Pascagoula, Miss. MSRC has 16 OSRVs positioned along the coastline of the continental U.S., Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The relocated vessel will be strategically placed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and wil provide enhanced coverage in an area where increasing industry activity is occuring, particularly with respect to deepwater oil exploration and production. The OSRV will be relocated from Corpus Christi, Texas. MSRC will maintain a skimming barge and significant amounts of other response equipment in Corpus Christi…

05 May 2000

Legal Briefs

Avondale Industries, Inc. has agreed to pay $357,750 in penalties for safety and health violations at its shipyard in Avondale, La., and implement a revised safety and health program as part of a settlement agreement announced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). "We are pleased Avondale has agreed to resolve this matter," said Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman. "Avondale's new management has shown they are serious about eliminating safety hazards. OSHA originally inspected the shipyard in October 1998 following union complaints of possible imminent danger from falls, and other health issues. Based on that inspection, OSHA issued 60 citations against the shipbuilder last April and proposed fines of $537,000.