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Oil SpillNOAAWatch Oil Spill Headlines


Month-long Response Continues for New Orleans Oil Spill

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:31:46 EDT
On 23 July, 2008, a collision resulted in more than 270,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil being spilled into the Mississippi River when a barge struck a tanker and sank. More than 2,000 responders from many organizations, including NOAA, have been working on cleanup efforts for the last month. The barge has been salvaged, and most of the affected river (100 miles) has been cleaned up. However, more than 10 miles of stranded oil remains, and cleanup efforts have been complicated by a 6-foot drop in the river level. Conventional flushing is not effective (even with hot water and relatively high pressure), because the stranded oil is “high and dry.” The current challenge is to find the right cleanup technique. Details...

Cleanup Continues After New Orleans Oil Spill

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:27:15 EDT
Nearly 100 miles of the Mississippi River were affected by an oil spill that occurred on July 23, 2008, when a barge collided with a ship. Originally, it was estimated that nearly all of the barge’s #6 fuel oil (over 420,000 gallons) spilled into the river when the barge was ripped in half and sank with an unknown amount of oil on board. However, the estimate was revised after responders removed more than 165,000 gallons of oil/water mix from the sunken barge. (Salvage operations on the barge are now complete.) More than 2,000 responders from U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana State, NOAA, and private response organizations are on-scene, and over 139,000 gallons of oil/water mix have been recovered from the river so far. Details...

Oil to be Removed from Barge Involved in New Orleans Oil Spill

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:17:07 EDT
Nearly 100 miles of the Mississippi River have been affected by an oil spill that occurred on July 23, 2008, when a barge collided with a ship. The barge ripped in half, spilled over 420,000 gallons of #6 fuel oil, and then sank with an unknown amount of oil on board. Responders have been working to remove the sunken barge and minimize the impact of the remaining oil on board, but salvage operations have been impeded by swift currents and poor visibility. However, the barge is now in a position for crews to begin pumping out the remaining oil from the barge. More than 2,000 responders from U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana State, NOAA, and private response organizations have arrived on-scene, and over 139,000 gallons of oil/water mix have been recovered so far. Details...

Response Continues for New Orleans Oil Spill

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:59:14 EDT
Over 420,000 gallons of #6 fuel oil spilled into the Mississippi River on July 23, 2008, affecting nearly 100 miles of the river. More than 2,000 responders from U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana State, NOAA, and private response organizations have arrived on-scene to help with response operations. Potable water intakes are all open and the river has been reopened to vessel traffic. More than 122,000 gallons of oil/water mix have been recovered so far. Details...

Mississippi River Reopens After New Orleans Oil Spill

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:26:13 EDT
Over 400,000 gallons of #6 fuel oil spilled into the Mississippi River on July 23, 2008, closing nearly 100 miles of the river, and leaving many vessels stranded. More than 1,500 responders from U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana State, NOAA, and other agencies have arrived on-scene to help with response operations. The river has been reopened to limited vessel traffic, and more than 70,000 gallons of oil/water mix have been recovered so far. Details...

Oil Spill in New Orleans, Louisiana

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:29:37 EDT
Over 400,000 gallons of oil were spilled into the Mississippi River on July 23, 2008, when a chemical tank ship and a barge collided near downtown New Orleans at approximately 1:30 AM (CDT). The barge was ripped in half, discharging its entire contents of #6 fuel oil, and resulting in the closure of several miles of the Lower Mississippi River to all vessel traffic. U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana State, and NOAA responders are on scene. Details...

NOAA Response to Oil Spills

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 07:45:19 EST
NOAA organizations remain active in San Francisco aiding in the response to last week's spill of an estimated 58,000 gallons of intermediate fuel oil on Nov. 7 when the container ship M/V Cosco Busan struck the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco Bay. NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration continues providing scientific support to the Unified Command, which is led by the U.S. Coast Guard, State of California's Fish and Game Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response and a representative of the shipping company. NOAA and the Department of Interior are working within the response, and with other state and federal trustees to develop the natural resource damage assessment. Details...

Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:02:46 EST
The container ship M/V Cosco Busan struck the Bay Bridge in San Francisco Bay, CA Wednesday morning, November 7th. A 100 foot long gash in the hull of the vessel resulted, and an estimated 53,000 gal of fuel oil was released into the water. An Incident Command Post has been established, on-water cleanup activities are underway, and shoreline assessment teams have been mobilized. More than 19 federal, state, and local agencies are involved with the response efforts, including wildlife recovery teams. NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (ORR) is providing support to the US Coast Guard. A Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) and a support team from NOAA ORR is on-site. Details...

Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:54:23 EST
The container ship M/V Cosco Busan was reported to have struck the Bay Bridge in San Francisco Bay, CA Wednesday morning around 08:30 PST. A 100 foot gash in the hull of the vessel resulted, and approximately 58,000 gallons of heavy bunker fuel oil was released into the water. Several beaches near the site have been closed. The vessel was moved to an anchorage and is no longer leaking product. NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (ORR) is responding and providing support to the US Coast Guard. A Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) is on-site and a support team from NOAA ORR in Seattle is en route. Details...

NOAA Response to Oil Spills

Wed, 23 Aug 2000 22:54:02 EDT
The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration's Emergency Response Division (ERD) supports emergency response and restoration activities for oil and hazardous chemical spills, provides preparedness aids for response communities, and offers training on the scientific aspects of oil and chemical spill response. Details...




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