Responsible Party News

The unified command consisting of the Coast Guard, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Office of Emergency Management, and Monmouth County Department of Health, received oil sample lab results from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Laboratory Friday, linking together oil spill cleanup efforts in both New York and New Jersey.Vane Brothers Company, as represented by Gallagher Marine Systems, has been identified as the responsible party.

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.

A U.S. registered bulk carrier has reportedly spilled diesel in Lake Michigan, approximately 1.5 nautical miles offshore of Manistee, Mich., the U.S. Coast Guard said.At approximately 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday, the 630-foot self-unloading bulk carrier Manitowoc reported a hull breach on its starboard diesel tank. The maximum spill potential is 45,174 gallons of diesel, the Coast Guard said.At the time of the report, the lake was at anchor 1.5 nautical miles offshore, northwest of where the Manistee River enters Lake Michigan.

In May, the U.S. Coast Guard will start a strengthened and pointedly direct anti-SASH campaign that will extend across the maritime industry. SASH is an acronym for sexual assault/sexual harassment, and this new effort adds muscle to Marine Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB Number: 1-23) "Reporting Sexual Misconduct on U.S. Vessels" released in February. The new bulletin supersedes a previous one from late 2021.USCG personnel will be very deliberate in making sure that all maritime operators are aware of MSIB 1-23. The core message: report all sexual misconduct and harassment.

Ship management association InterManager is urging the European Commission to follow the polluter pays approach when finalising legislation intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping in European waters.Shipowners are concerned that proposed EU-ETS legislation could miss its mark if it holds ship management firms accountable for emissions reductions rather than target the parties who control key pollution-related aspects of ship operation such as fuel, machinery and vessel speed.In a submission to the Commission…

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA – also known as the Clean Water Act), as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), contains a responder immunity provision. That provision states, in pertinent part:(A)A person is not liable for removal costs or damages which result from actions taken or omitted to be taken in the course of rendering care, assistance, or advice consistent with the National Contingency Plan or as otherwise directed by the President relating…

A tug and barge ran aground Thursday night near Deerfield Beach, Fla., while transporting munitions from Port Canaveral to a U.S. Naval facility in the Bahamas.The U.S.-flagged tug Sea Eagle had four people on board when it began taking on water and went aground at 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said. No injuries or pollution have been reported, and both the tug and barge are said to be in stable condition.Three of the crew members were rescued from the attached barge by Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP AMO) rescue crews.

The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) marine casualty investigators are investigating a barge allision with the Bayou Ramos Bridge near Morgan City and Amelia, Louisiana, on Highway 182. On December 23, 2021, at approximately 3:26 a.m., a towing vessel pushing six barges was traveling southeast along the Avoca Island Cutoff waterway when one of the lead barges in the tow struck the Bayou Ramos Bridge. Coast Guard personnel at Marine Safety Unit Morgan City received notification about damage to the bridge several hours later and identified the responsible party.

The U.S. Coast Guard is working with the Seacor Power's owner to salvage the lift boat that capsized earlier this month in the Gulf of Mexico.A unified command including representatives from the Coast Guard and Houston-based Seacor Marine engaged in-person for the salvage and wreck removal, including the removal of fuel and oil from the overturned vessel, the Coast Guard said on Tuesday.The 234-foot Seacor Power capsized in heavy seas and winds approximately 8 miles south of Port Fourchon, La., on April 13.

A U.S.-flagged tug and deck barge reportedly struck a pier and grounded while conducting docking maneuvers at the Ensenada Honda auxiliary cargo dock in Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday.The tugboat Don Jaime and barge Marilin H have been refloated, and there are no reports of injuries, oil discharge or sheening in the surrounding waters, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, whose inspectors are on scene to investigate the marine casualty incident.“We are looking to identify…

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…

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA, often called the Clean Water Act), as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), provides:If a discharge, or a substantial threat of a discharge, of oil or a hazardous substance from a vessel, offshore facility, or onshore facility is of such a size or character as to be a substantial threat to the public health or welfare of the United States (including but not limited to fish, shellfish, wildlife, other natural resources…

A tugboat is partially sunk and leaking diesel after alliding with a bridge in North Carolina's Oregon Inlet, the U.S. Coast Guard said.All eight people aboard the tug Miss Bonnie reached shore safely without injury after the vessel struck the Old Bonner Bridge at 11:09 a.m. on Sunday.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received report from a local Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew at approximately 10:00 a.m. on Monday that a sheen was coming from the semi-submerged tug.The maximum potential for the discharge is 6…

Five crewmembers have been rescued from a towing vessel that sank in the Mississippi River near Laplace, La., Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.At approximately 3 p.m Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report that the St. Rita, owned and operated by Marquette Transportation Company, sank on the right descending bank on the Mississippi River.The five crewmembers that were on board the vessel were rescued by nearby towing vessel, Rod C, and then transported to shore. No injuries were reported. There are no reported impacts to vessel traffic and the river remains open, the Coast Guard said.According to the Coast Guard, the St.

The Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Valley Towing Company, the responsible party, are continuing their response to a tug and barge accident on the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, Wednesday.The water at the McAlpine Dam rose approximately three feet over the course of the past 24 hours causing one additional barge to sink. Nine barges are currently lying on the dam just above the falls. Seven of the nine barges sank.The Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and the responsible party are working together to evaluate the ever-changing situation each day.

The Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Valley Towing Company, the responsible party, are continuing their response to a tug and barge accident on the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, Thursday.The Coast Guard reopened the Ohio River to all vessel traffic from Twelve Mile Island to McAlpine Lock and Dam.Traffic movement is currently only permitted during daylight hours and with an assist vessel, which is available pre-stationed at McAlpine Lock and Dam.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received a report at approximately 8:10 p.m.…

A section of the Ohio River near Louisville, Ky. has been closed to all vessel traffic after 15 loaded coal barges broke away from a towing vessel that made contact with a bridge in the area.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Ohio Valley received a report at approximately 8:10 p.m., Tuesday, that the towing vessel Debbie Graham, made contact with the 2nd Street Bridge, causing the 15 coal barges that it was pushing to break free. The cause of the incident is…

Clean up efforts are underway after a vessel collision caused an oil spill near Port Arthur, Texas.The U.S. Coast Guard said an estimated 13,272 gallons of marine diesel fuel was discharged after an accident involving the towing vessel Savage Pathfinder and the motor vessel Endurance on Wednesday evening. No injuries were reported.Containment boom was placed around the vessel, and the source of the leak has been secured, the Coast Guard said.Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur and Texas General Land Office personnel are involved in the investigation and response efforts."We are working with TGLO, the responsible party and all maritime stakeholders to minimize impact as quickly as possible," said Capt.

U.S. Coast Guard and Maryland Department of the Environment personnel are investigating and overseeing cleanup of a lube oil discharge near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor Monday.   A National Response Center report was made Friday about a rainbow sheen in the harbor near Pier 6, which alerted Coast Guard and MDE pollution response personnel to investigate.   It is estimated that approximately 50 gallons of lube oil has discharged into the harbor through the Jones Falls outfall near the 2100 block of Falls Road. Hard boom and sorbent materials have been deployed and contractors are on scene recovering the product.   The source of the oil and responsible party have not yet been identified. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is being used to pay for response efforts.

A fire-stricken commercial fishing vessel that had been adrift in the Pacific for more than three months has run aground in the Samoan Islands on Monday. The 88-foot Taiwanese-flagged Chu Zai Fa No. 1 reportedly caught fire in international waters on November 4, 2017 and remained adrift until this week, when it grounded in Leone Bay about 300-yards off the western part of Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa. The fire forced the Chu Zai Fa No. 1 crew to abandon ship, and most were rescued by a Korean-flagged vessel and brought to Fiji aboard a sister fishing vessel.

The U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA and Environmental Protection Agency are monitoring the tracking and assessment of more than six dozen stray cargo containers lost due to high winds and heavy seas about 17 miles off Oregon Inlet, N.C. On Sunday, March 4, the cargo ship Maersk Shanghai alerted watchstanders at Sector North Carolina’s command center that they lost about 70 cargo containers during a heavy roll. Maersk later confirmed the total number of containers lost overboard was 76 as well as their contents. A. P.

Hundreds of gallons of mineral oil has been released from a leaking underwater utility line in Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac, this week. Initial reports from the responsible party, American Transmission Company (ATC), indicate that approximately 600 gallons of product has been released, with maximum spill potential of more than 4,000 gallons. The U.S. Coast Guard said it has established a Unified Command comprised of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, county emergency managers, local tribes, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S.

The Coast Guard and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection responded to a dielectric oil leak Friday in the Mystic River near the Alford St. bridge. The source is believed to be a small, slow leak from a cable under the river. Initially, Mass DEP and a pollution response team from Coast Guard Sector Boston discovered a notable rainbow sheen during a routine patrol of the river. Boom was deployed around the sheen, and later, an investigation determined the probable source was a cable encased in a metal pipeline which runs under the river. The exact location of the leak along the pipe has not yet been identified. Both agencies…