Coast Guard MSU Port Arthur coordinates response to recover oil from submerged vessel

DATE: September 24, 2009 5:48:26 PM CDT

Office of External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard

News Release	Date: Sept. 24, 2009 Contact: Lt. j.g. Kimberly Kaiser (409) 723-6589
Coast Guard MSU Port Arthur coordinates response to recover oil from submerged vessel
PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur is overseeing the ongoing effort to recover oil from a submerged ship wreck, approximately 6 miles off Texas Point in the Gulf of Mexico, Thursday. The recovery effort began after the Coast Guard responded to a minor oil sheen which was initially thought to have been from a pipeline. A cooperative effort between all involved parties to determine the source of the discharge ruled that it was not a pipeline causing the discharge. An image captured with side scan sonar showed the hull of a ship. Using the National Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, the Coast Guard contracted the salvage company Resolve Marine to survey the site. The site survey enabled personnel to determine that recoverable heavy fuel oil is onboard the submerged ship wreck. A Unified Command consisting of MSU Port Arthur, the Coast Guard's Gulf Strike Team, and the Texas General Land Office have been working with the following agencies to remove the oil from the submerged ship wreck: Texas Parks and Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Pollution Fund Center Resolve Marine and Garner Environmental Recovery efforts are scheduled to continue throughout the next few weeks. ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

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