Moving goods by sea is considered the most efficient form of commercial transport, and the carbon footprint of maritime shipping is substantially lower, per ton of cargo, compared with rail, truck, and air transport. But these ships still require large amounts of fuel and, despite safety improvements, there is always the risk of significant oil spills.

So far this year, OR&R has provided support to 46 incidents. In March 2023, OR&R provided response support to 27 incidents, including 18 new incidents in 10 different states and one foreign country—the Philippines. 

Every month, OR&R’s Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services to the U.S. Coast Guard on everything from running oil spill trajectories to model where the spill may spread, to identifying possible effects on wildlife and fisheries and estimates on how long the oil may stay in the environment. We also get requests to track and model other floating objects.

In February 2023, ERD responded to 13 new incidents in nine different states, one territory (Guam) and one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands (Johnston Atoll, located 750 nautical miles (1,390 km; 860 mi) southwest of the island of Hawaiʻi).

In January 2023, OR&R responded to 14 new incidents in 10 different states. The new incidents included 11 actual or potential oil spills, one natural gas well, one chemical spill, and one marine debris (tracking a derelict drift net).

At the end of each year, we reflect on the response events and activities we supported. In 2022, we provided scientific support to the Coast Guard and other federal responders for a wide range of scenarios — remotely when possible, and on-scene when needed. 

Our first call of 2022 came on Jan. 9. The Coast Guard Sector New York notified the NOAA scientific support coordinator that a 45-foot sport fishing vessel, the Time Out, broke loose from its mooring and grounded on Sandy Hook National Seashore in New Jersey.

When oil or chemicals spill into coastal U.S. waters, the U.S. Coast Guard is the primary federal government agency charged with overseeing the response. To assist them, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration is mandated to provide science-based expertise to help them make informed decisions during these emergency operations.

Every month, OR&R’s Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services to the U.S. Coast Guard on everything from running oil spill trajectories to model where the spill may spread, to identifying possible effects on wildlife and fisheries and estimates on how long the oil may stay in the environment. We also get requests to track and model other floating objects.

So far this year, OR&R has provided support to 140 incidents. In November 2022, OR&R provided response support to 22 incidents, including 12 new incidents in seven different states. 

When an oil spill happens, it’s usually not just one agency that responds. Oftentimes, it’s an entire spill response community that bands together to clean up the spill, protect the environment from any impacts, and begin working on recovery.