Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: Sept. 25, 2009

Contact:  Lt. j.g. Kimberly Kaiser

(409) 723-6589

PORT ARTHUR, Texas –  Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur is continuing to coordinate response operations to recover oil from a submerged ship wreck 6 miles off Texas Point in the Gulf of Mexico, Friday.

The Coast Guard federal on scene coordinator authorized the opening of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund in order to determine and secure the source of an oil sheen.  Resolve Marine was contracted, and conducted a preliminary survey that identified a sunken vessel buried in 36 feet of water with only 5 feet of the hull protruding from the bottom of the gulf. After detailed measurements, engineering calculations and samples were taken from the site, it has been determined that the vessel is consistent in size and shape with that of a 417-foot long, 56-foot wide World War II Liberty Ship.

Once the vessel was determined to be the most probable source of discharge, a Unified Command was created and approved plans for surveying, marking, sampling, and quantifying the vessel's tanks.  These efforts resulted in securing the sources of the original oil sheen and the discovery of oil within the vessel's fuel tanks. At this point, it is estimated that approximately 16,000 gallons of recoverable fuel oil still remain onboard the ship.

Currently, operations are ongoing to tap into the tanks containing oil and pump the oil into a tank onboard a response vessel for further disposal. 

The Unified Command consists of MSU Port Arthur and the Texas General Land Office. They 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
• Coast Guard Gulf Strike Team

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Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

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. 

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Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: August 11, 2009

Contact:  Lt.j.g. Kimberly Kaiser
(409) 723-6589

Coast Guard reopens Intracostal Waterway to vessel traffic

PORT ARTHUR, Texas — The Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur reopened the Intracostal Waterway after the towing vessel Caroline was refloated Monday.

The waterway was closed following a collision between the towing vessel Caroline and the towing vessel Miss Stacie at mile marker 312 on the Intracoastal Waterway early this morning.  No injuries were sustained during the collision.

A Unified Command comprised of Canal Barge Company, Texas General Land Office, Oil Mop and the Coast Guard was established to respond to the incident.  A minimal amount of oil was released from the Caroline and was cleaned up by Oil Mop.

The Caroline was re-floated at 11:10 and was then towed to Bollinger Shipyard in Lake Charles, La., for repairs. The Caroline’s barges were transported to Houston by the towing vessel Coushatta.

The Intracoastal Waterway was re-opened at 3 p.m. to eastbound and westbound traffic.

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Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: June 22, 2009

Contact:  Lt. j.g. Kimberly Kaiser
(409) 723-6589

Coast Guard MSU Port Arthur responds to oil spill in Sabine Neches Waterway

PORT ARTHUR, Texas – Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur responded to the report of an oil spill at the Motiva Terminal in Port Neches, June 22, 2009. 

The source of the oil leak was a loading arm flange at the Motiva Terminal. The flange has since been secured and is no longer leaking oil into the waterway. Calculations indicated that approximately 100 gallons of oil was released into the Sabine Neches Waterway. 

Texas General Land Office and the Coast Guard responded on scene with personnel and boats to monitor cleanup operations.  On scene reports have indicated that five tugs and two barges were impacted by the oil and are in the process of being cleaned.

Texas General Land Office, Motiva, and the Coast Guard are working together to clean up the oil and minimize the impact of the oil spill to the environment.

Motiva has contracted Garner Environmental, Oil Mop and Clean Harbor for containment and recovery operations. Containment boom has been placed around the visible sheen and Motiva has secured the leaking flange. Garner has staged pollution response equipment on scene and is actively recovering the small pockets of oil.

The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the oil spill. 

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Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: Nov. 23, 2008

Contact:  Ensign Kimberly Kaiser
(409) 723-6589

MSU PORT ARTHUR OVERSEES RECOVERY OF RUPTURED WELL-HEAD LEAK

PORT ARTHUR, Texas - Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur and other agencies are coordinating efforts to recover a ruptured well-head leak, which occured on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008 in Sabine Lake. On Nov. 18, the well owner, Ballard Exploration, had secured the leak that occurred when a tug and barge struck an inactive production well-head in Sabine Lake. 

An estimated 840 gallons of oil was released into the waterway and approximately 770 gallons have been recovered or accounted for. Recovery efforts include the placement of 2,400 feet of boom and the mobilization of 14 boats, one aircraft and 55 response personnel. Although there are no threats to the public onshore, there still remains a light sheen in the area and the Coast Guard encourages marine traffic to stay clear.

Agencies and companies overseeing the joint recovery effort include: Texas General Land Office, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordination Office, Louisiana State Sheriff, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's scientific support staff, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge and the well owner Ballard Exploration.

Coast Guard investigators indicated that the tug and barge sustained very minor damage from striking the well-head.
The Coast Guard is conducting an investigation of the incident. 

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Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: Nov. 19, 2008

Contact:  Ensign Kimberly Kaiser

(409) 723-6589

COAST GUARD MSU PORT ARTHUR RESPONDS TO RUPTURED WELL HEAD LEAK

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Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: June 23, 2009 

Contact:  Lt. j.g. Kimberly Kaiser
(409) 723-6589

MSU Port Arthur successfully oversees recovery of oil from Sabine Neches Waterway

PORT ARTHUR, Texas – A unified command consisting of Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur, Texas General Land Office, Garner Environmental, and Motiva Terminal successfully oversaw and coordinated the recovery efforts for the leaking flange in the Sabine Neches Waterway, June 23, 2009.   

Following shoreline and overflight assessments by unified command representatives, it was determined that no visible recoverable product remains.  Although recovery operations have been completed, the unified command is standing by to investigate any future reports of oil in the water and will respond accordingly.    

It is estimated that a total of 100 gallons of oil have been recovered or accounted for from the waterway. Recovery efforts included the placement of 2,300 feet of boom and the mobilization of six boats, one aircraft and 57 response personnel.

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