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 possible effects on wildlife and fisheries and estimates on how long the oil may stay in the environment.
This month OR&R responded to eight incidents in January, including oil discharges, grounded vessels, and other pollution-related incidents.
Here are some of January's notable incidents:
Fishing Vessel Grounded in Sandy Hook, NJ
On Jan. 9, the U.S. Coast Guard notified NOAA that a 45-foot sport fishing vessel broke loose from its mooring and grounded on Sandy Hook National Park in New Jersey. The Time Out was carrying approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel on board at the time of the incident.
The vessel remained intact with no report of any discharge. The owner has submitted a salvage plan to the Coast Guard and successfully moved all fuel and batteries from the vessel. The vessel will be salvaged at a future date.
On-Scene Support for Oil Spill near Lima, Peru
NOAA is supporting the response to an oil spill off the coast of Lima, Peru. The spill happened on Jan.15, 2022 during the unloading of crude oil from a tanker off the coast of a local refinery.
As requested by the government of Peru, OR&R is providing oil trajectory modeling forecasts and analysis to better understand the oil’s movements and to assess the threat it may pose to other resources. This work is helping Peruvian authorities focus clean-up activities and interventions, as well as preventative actions in appropriate places, given the broad geographic extent of the disaster.
OR&R is also working side-by-side with the U.S. Coast Guard to advise on oil spill containment methodology and clean-up guidance, and is helping develop assessments of the environmental impacts and economic damages. Among the resources that OR&R has shared was guidance in Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique, a methodology that spill responders use to conduct shoreline assessment after an oil spill, as well as other Spanish-language spill response resources.
Read more in this recent article on NOAA’s support of the spill.
Fire and Diesel Spill from Recreational Fishing Vessel, Navesink River, New Jersey
On Jan. 20, the Coast Guard notified NOAA of a fire onboard a 43-foot recreational fishing vessel that was docked at Irwin Marine in Red Bank, New Jersey. The vessel was carrying about 500 gallons of diesel fuel at the time of the fire, and as much as 100-200 gallons of oil was reportedly released into the Navesink River.
The Coast Guard requested NOAA provide trajectory support for the release. The spill was contained with pollution boom and the vessel was removed on Jan. 25.
Here is the complete list of last month’s incidents, click on the links to find out more:
- Fishing Vessel Grounded, Sandy Hook, NJ
- Spill from Quarter North Oil Well, Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico
- Diesel Spill along Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, New Orleans, LA
- Massive Fire at Warehouse, Passaic, NJ
- Oil Spill near Lima, Peru
- Fire and Diesel Spill from Recreational Fishing Vessel, Navesink River, Red Bank, NJ
- Vessel Grounding, Ocracoke, NC
- Small Spill from Recreational Vessel near Bay St Louis, MS
