oil spill

So far this year, OR&R has provided support for 111 incidents. During August 2023, OR&R provided response support for 21 incidents, including 16 new incidents in nine different states and one U.S. Territory (a vessel grounded in Puerto Rico).

As new and more intense forms of marine pollution threaten coastal ecosystems, economies, and communities, scientists from NOAA OR&R collaborate with leading experts on topics like marine debris, environmental economics, endangered species, environmental chemistry, and many other subjects that intersect with pollution science. This blog highlights some recently published scientific advances supporting pollution response and assessment.

So far this year, OR&R has provided support for 96 incidents. During July 2023, OR&R provided response support for 21 incidents, including 17 new incidents in seven different states and one international incident (a fire at an offshore production well in Mexico).

Doug Helton, Regional Operations Supervisor in OR&R's Emergency Response Division, recalls a significant incident that happened 30 years ago in Tampa Bay, involving multiple vessels, a fire, and spilled heavy fuel oil, jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline. Despite decades passing by, he continues to use photos from that incident to illustrate the challenges and trade-offs of shoreline cleanup.

So far this year, OR&R has provided support for 77 incidents. During June 2023, OR&R provided response support for 17 incidents, including 12 new incidents in 10 different states.

So far this year, OR&R has provided support to 54 incidents. In April 2023, OR&R provided response support to 19 incidents, including seven new incidents in five different states.

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.