Incident Responses for April 2025

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Every month, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration’s (OR&R) Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services in support of spills and other coastal and ocean emergencies. Our support ranges from producing oil spill trajectories that estimate where a spill may spread; to identifying possible effects on wildlife and fisheries; to estimating how long oil may stay in the environment. This support is to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) as the federal lead for coastal zone spills, and also assists other Unified Command members including state and industry leads for response operations. OR&R also receives requests to track and model other floating objects, such as log booms or shipping containers that have broken free, whale carcasses, fish die-offs, and algal blooms.

From January to April, 2025, OR&R responded to 71 incidents. In April, OR&R provided response support for 26 incidents, including 21 new incidents in 10 states and one territory. This includes a partially-sunk derelict vessel at a dock near the San Juan airport in Puerto Rico. Twenty of the new incidents were actual or potential oil spills, and one was a chemical spill, involving a barge allision and a discharge of ethanol into the Atchafalaya River.

New incidents that OR&R supported ranged from a well rupture in coastal Louisiana; a potential fuel release from a container ship cruising offshore California; a container ship in Alaska leaking lubricant; and a fire at an oil company resulting in a cooking oil release into a New Jersey marsh. NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) satellite imagery also alerted OR&R to several potential spills in the Gulf of America.

OR&R staff prepared 140 incident reports and documents, including 21 fate and trajectory analyses.

Here are some of April’s notable incidents:

Possible Hazardous Material Spill; Crockett, California

OR&R alerted the U.S. Coast Guard to a possible hazardous materials release into Carquinez Strait, California, prompting a helicopter overflight to further investigate and characterize the release.

On April 2, 2025, the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) for California was contacted by the National Weather Service with information relayed from Contra Costa Fire Department about an ongoing spill in Carquinez Strait in Crockett, California. A pipe alongside a railroad track was actively releasing an unknown substance under the Carquinez Bridge, forming a large sheen in the waters of the Strait. Concurrent observations reported the presence of a petroleum smell, but no black oil.

An aerial image of coastal waters with observed bright white-silver streaks through it.
Bright white-silver streaks and streamers in the waters of the Carquinez Strait, viewed from a Coast Guard helicopter overflight, April 2, 2025. Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard.

The SSC notified the Coast Guard, who began its investigation. A Coast Guard helicopter overflight observed bright white-silver streaks and streamers in the waters of the Strait, and the unknown odor was investigated by Contra Costa County Fire. In addition, the energy company Phillips 66, the Union Pacific Railroad, and the Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Program deployed to support the incident and determine the responsible party. The response effort was further supported by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Amtrak.

By evening, the spill’s flow had been stopped. By late evening, the source to the Strait was boomed and contained, the release was under control, and no additional discharge was known. After evaluation, authorities determined that the substance did not pose a significant risk to the public, local waterways, or the bay.

Diesel Leaking from F/V Eileen Rita outside Boston Harbor; Hull, Massachusetts

To support the response to a grounded fishing vessel leaking diesel offshore of Massachusetts, OR&R provided spill trajectory and analysis and support for wildlife at risk.

Aerial photo showing significant sheening surrounding a stricken vessel.
Aerial photo showing significant sheening surrounding a stricken vessel.

On April 11, the fishing vessel Eileen Rita ran aground on Green Island off Hull, Massachusetts, in the eastern area of the Boston Harbor Islands. The 86-foot vessel, with approximately 4,000 gallons of diesel and 80 gallons of lubricant oil on board, was leaking diesel due to a crack in the hull. 

A sunken vessel observed just below the waterline.
Aerial photo of sunken F/V Eileen Rita, from a U.S. Coast Guard overflight on April 25. Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard.

USCG Sector Boston contacted the NOAA SSC to request a spill trajectory and identification of natural resources that could be at risk from the spilled product. With the amount and rate of diesel release unknown, OR&R scientific and technical experts produced a trajectory for a potential worst-case discharge from the sunken fishing vessel which predicted the spill could make landfall in the area of the Boston Harbor Islands. OR&R experts also identified at-risk natural resources to help address the environmental concerns posed by the grounded vessel.

The Coast Guard conducted overflights to examine the extent of the spill. Rough seas in the early part of the response prevented salvage or recovery efforts but also helped to dissipate and evaporate the diesel, helping to reduce any potential impacts from the spill.

NOAA Fisheries experts expressed concerns over several endangered North Atlantic right whales that had been recently sighted within 4-10 miles of the sunken vessel. The Coast Guard and NOAA Fisheries conducted joint field operations to observe for protected resources in the area, including seals and North Atlantic right whales.

USCG Sector Boston continued to monitor the vessel for potential sheening with none being observed. Salvage operations, conducted by the responsible party, successfully recovered the vessel on May 16.

A fishing vessel lifted by a crane being rested atop a large barge at night.
F/V Eileen Rita was successfully lifted, recovered, and placed on a large barge for transport to a pier for additional pumping and waste removal. May 16, 2025. Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard.

Well #59 Incident: Well Blowout, Garden Island Bay; Port Eads, Louisiana

OR&R is aiding in the response to an oil and natural gas release following a well rupture in a marsh environment in Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana.

On Saturday, April 26, 2025, a well was reported to be discharging oil and natural gas into marsh and surrounding waters near Garden Island Bay, Louisiana. The leak originated from Spectrum OpCo, LLC, Garden Island Bay Production Facility’s company well (Well #59). A Unified Command, composed of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, was established to direct the spill response efforts. The wellhead was secured on Sunday, May 4, 2025, ending the discharge of oil and natural gas. The well is located in the Pass-A-Loutre Wildlife Management Area, an environmentally sensitive area.

An overflight image displays an oil spill in a coastal marsh environment with floating boom present to contain released oil.
An overflight displays the affected area of marsh environment near Garden Island Bay, Louisiana on April 27, 2025. Image credit: NOAA.

NOAA began providing on-site and remote scientific support at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday, April 28, 2025. OR&R is delivering cutting-edge, real-time visual surveillance to support coordinated response efforts across the Unified Command. Oil recovery and mitigation efforts are ongoing. NOAA leads scientific support to a multi-agency workgroup tasked with evaluating cleanup strategies.

For operational questions related to the Well #59 incident, visit the latest U.S. Coast Guard press release.

Here is the complete list of April's incidents. Click on the links to find out more: