Marine Safety Unit Galveston

Unified Command continues to respond to oil spill off Galveston coast

2009-10-24T01:52:21Z

Office of External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard

News Release	Date: Oct. 23, 2009 Contact: Petty Office Prentice Danner (832) 293-1293
Unified Command continues to respond to oil spill off Galvestion coast
HOUSTON — The Unified Command continues to respond to an oil spill about 40 miles Southeast of Galveston, Texas, Friday. During a morning overflight to assess the oil spill, crews discovered sporadic"tar patties", or pieces of weathered oil, approximately 32 miles offshore. The Unified Command has directed a vessel from the National Response Corporation, the NRC Admiral, to areas where oil has been spotted. The vessel has the capability to recover the oil mechanically. Additionally, small amounts of additional dispersants were applied to the sporadic tar patties to further disperse the oil. On Wednesday, approximately 1,000 gallons of dispersants were applied to the offshore oil spill, and overflights on Thursday showed that the initial application was successful. "The multi-agency Unified Command continues to aggressively focus on minimizing the impacts to shorelines and environmentally sensitive areas. The rapid application of dispersants in the early hours of this response combined with ready on-water recovery assets appears to have been effective in preventing the oil spill from reaching shore to date," said Cmdr. Jim Elliott, commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Galveston. The 820-foot Liberian-flagged tank ship Krymsk sustained damage to a fuel tank when the 166-foot offshore supply vessel AET Endeavor made contact with the vessel Tuesday night. The two vessels had just completed a planned lightering operation when the incident occurred. Action was taken by the crew of the Krymsk to transfer oil from the damaged fuel tank to a separate undamaged fuel tank. Based on the volume of oil transferred, investigators determined approximately 14,000 gallons of fuel oil was spilled. The Coast Guard continues to investigate the cause of this marine casualty. The following agencies comprise the Unified Command responding to this oil spill: Coast Guard Texas General Land Office National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Texas Parks and Wildlife O'Brien's Response Management AET ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

UPDATE 3: Unified Command assesses progress of dispersants in response to oil spill off Galveston coast

2009-10-22T23:54:39Z

Office of External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard

News Release	Date: Oct. 22, 2009 Contact: Public Affairs Detachment Houston (713) 578-3080
Unified Command assesses progress of dispersants in response to oil spill off Galveston coast
HOUSTON — The Unified Command, responding to an oil spill approximately 40 miles southeast of Galveston, assessed the progress of dispersants, Thursday. On Wednesday, approximately 1,000 gallons of dispersants were applied to the offshore oil spill. On Thursday, two morning overflights were conducted in the area where the dispersants were applied. As a result of the application process, the morning observation overflights noted no visible remnants of oil. An Air Station Corpus Christi HU-25 Falcon jet crew returning to Corpus Christi Thursday afternoon, reported what appeared to be an area of dispersed oil, approximately 11 miles south of Freeport. The Coast Guard and its interagency partners are currently assessing the situation. "It appears that the application of dispersants on Wednesday was relatively effective in mitigating the oil spill. We will continue to conduct offshore assessments, and a beach surveillance plan has also been implemented, which entails remaining vigilant in scanning the shoreline for potential oil remnants. The cohesive effort between all parties involved in this response is the direct result of constant training, planning and preparedness for situations such as these," said Cmdr. Jim Elliott, commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Galveston. The 820-foot Liberian-flagged tank ship Krymsk sustained damage to a fuel tank when the 166-foot offshore supply vessel AET Endeavor made contact with the vessel Tuesday night. The two vessels had just completed a planned lightering operation when the incident occurred. Action was taken by the crew of the Krymsk to transfer oil from the damaged fuel tank to a separate undamaged fuel tank. Based on the volume of oil transferred, investigators determined approximately 14,000 gallons of fuel oil was spilled. The Coast Guard continues to investigate the cause of this marine casualty. The following agencies comprise the Unified Command responding to this oil spill: Coast Guard Texas General Land Office National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Texas Parks and Wildlife O'Brien's Response Management AET ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

VIDEO AVAILABLE: Dispersant deployed off Galveston

2009-10-22T02:29:52Z

Office of External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard

Multi Media Release	Date: Oct. 21, 2009 Contact: Petty Officer Second Class Prentice Danner (832) 293-1293
Dispersant deployed off Galveston Video Available
To download this video please click here or on the above thumbnail HOUSTON - In this video released by the unified command responding to the tank ship Krymsk incident, a DC3 aircraft deploys dispersant to an oil sheen 40 miles off of Galveston Oct. 21, 2009, after an estimated 18,000 gallons of fuel oil were spilled from the Krymsk Oct. 20, 2009. The unified command decided to deploy dispersant after determining that on-water oil recovery methods would not work due to weather conditions. Dispersants are products that are applied to the water surface in order to break up surface oil slicks, a process called dispersion, and facilitate the movement of oil particles into the water column. U.S. Coast Guard video. For downloadable high-resolution photos please visit: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=77427 ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

VIDEO AVAILABLE: Unified Command to use dispersant on oil spill

2009-10-21T18:18:06Z

Office of External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard

News Release	Date: Oct. 21, 2009 Contact: Joint Information Center (409) 978-2667
Unified Command to use dispersants on oil spill Video available
HOUSTON — A unified command comprised of the Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, O’Brien’s Response Management and AET will use dispersants Wednesday in response to an oil spill that occurred late Tuesday night. The 820-foot Liberian-flagged tank ship Krymsk is currently stable after sustaining damage to a fuel tank when the 166-foot offshore supply vessel AET Endeavor made contact with the vessel 40 miles southeast of Galveston Tuesday night. The two vessels had just completed a planned lightering operation when the incident occurred. Action was taken by the crew of the Krymsk to transfer oil from the damaged fuel tank to a separate undamaged fuel tank. The tank ship's captain reported that approximately 18,000 gallons of fuel oil was spilled. The Coast Guard continues to investigate the cause of this marine casualty and the volume of oil spilled. The unified command has decided to deploy a dispersant after determining that on-water recovery methods would not be possible due to the weather conditions. The dispersant will be sprayed over the oil slick by a DC3 aircraft. Dispersants are products that are applied to the water surface in order to break up surface oil slicks, a process called dispersion, and facilitate the movement of oil particles into the water column. "The Coast Guard plans, trains and exercises daily with our interagency partners to respond to these types of incidents," said Cmdr. Jim Elliott, commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Galveston. "Last night, we immediately joined with our fellow federal, state and industry responders to develop and implement a response plan to mitigate this oil spill's impact to our shorelines and environmentally sensitive areas," Elliott said. The spill is not currently affecting shipping traffic. For video of the tank ship Krymsk and the affected area please click here. ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

Coast Guard responds to collision, oil spill 40 miles off the coast of Galveston

2009-10-21T12:56:45Z

Office of External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard

News Release	Date: Oct. 20, 2009 Contact: Petty Officer Prentice Danner (832) 293-1293 (713) 578-3080
Coast Guard responds to collision, oil spill 40 miles off the coast of Galveston
GALVESTON, Texas — A unified command comprised of the Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, O’Brien’s Response Management and American Eagle Tankers has been established to respond to a collision between two vessels approximately 40 miles southeast of Galveston Tuesday. The 820-foot Liberian-flagged tank ship Krymsk is currently stable after sustaining damage to a fuel tank when the 166-foot offshore supply vessel AET Endeavor collided with the vessel. Action was taken by the crew of the Krymsk to transfer oil from the damaged fuel tank to a separate undamaged fuel tank. The tank ship's captain reports that approximately 18,000 gallons of oil was spilled; a Coast Guard team is underway to confirm this initial report. The leak has been secured and there were no injuries reported on either vessel. Both on-water and aerial assets have been deployed to conduct oil spill response operations. The Coast Guard is currently investigating the cause of the accident. ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

PHOTO RELEASE: Coast Guard Awards Roger Stone Gold Lifesaving Medal

2009-07-28T03:36:45Z

Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Photo Release

Date: July 27, 2009

Contact: Petty Officer Patrick Kelley
(314) 603-5302

Coast Guard Awards Roger Stone Gold Lifesaving Medal

HOUSTON -- Capt. Marcus Woodring, commander of Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston, presents Linda Stone the Gold Lifesaving Medal that her husband earned for his heroic actions that followed the capsizing of the sailing vessel Cynthia Woods last year during a ceremony on the Mitchell Campus of Texas A&M University at Galveston July 27, 2009.

Linda Stone wipes away tears as she describes her husband's heroic actions.

The medal was established by Congress in 1874 and is one of the oldest military medals. Since then, approximately 700 medals have been awarded. In contrast, the Medal of Honor, established approximately 10 years earlier, has been awarded 3,448 times.

The Gold Lifesaving Medal is awarded by the Commandant of the Coast Guard to any person who rescues, or endeavors to rescue, any other person from drowning, shipwreck, or other peril of the water. To merit the award of the Gold Lifesaving Medal, the rescue must be made at the risk to one's own life and show extreme heroic daring.

The Coast Guard is the ultimate award authority for the Lifesaving Medal and issues the decorations to members of all military branches as well as civilians.

For more photos of the ceremony please visit CGVI.USCG.MIL

(U.S. Coast Guard photos by Petty Officer Patrick Kelley)

Click the above image to obtain a high-resolution version.

Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790.
The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

###

3-10-09: UPDATE 4: Lightering operations of 900-foot tank ship successful

2009-03-10T23:29:23Z

Office of External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard

News Release	Date: March 10, 2009 Contact: Lt. Tim Tilghman (409) 682-1907
Lightering operations of 900-foot tank ship successful
GALVESTON, Texas - Lightering operations that were monitored by Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Galveston personnel were successfully completed on the 900-foot tank ship SKS Satilla this afternoon, 65 miles south of Galveston. The SKS Satilla has offloaded all of its cargo and is currently stable after sustaining damage to a large area along the port side of the ship’s hull below the waterline. Divers are on scene to remove a portion of jagged metal from the hull, and the ship will have a final assessment from engineers before being released to make repairs. At approximately 8:20 am Friday, March 6, the SKS Satilla crew reported the tank ship was suffering an 8-degree port list due to water flooding into three of the ship’s ballast tanks. The tank ship was reported to have approximately 41 million gallons of crude oil onboard. "Thanks to the efforts of a unified command, comprised of multiple agency representatives and maritime industry experts, over 41 million gallons of oil were safely offloaded from the damaged tank ship SKS Satilla. The vessel will now transit to a shipyard to make repairs," said Cmdr. James Elliott, commanding officer of MSU Galveston. A unified command consisted of the following organizations: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Texas General Land Office United States Mineral Management Service United States Coast Guard SMIT Salvage The O'Brien's Group American Eagle Tankers ENSCO Offshore Company SKS Obo Holding Limited ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

3-08-09: UPDATE 3 VIDEO AVAILABLE: MSU Galveston continues to monitor lightering operations of 900-foot tank ship

2009-03-08T22:49:37Z

Office of External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard

News Release	Date: March 8, 2009 Contact: Lt. Tim Tilghman (409) 682-1907
MSU Galveston continues to monitor lightering operations of 900-foot tank ship
GALVESTON, Texas - Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Galveston personnel are monitoring lightering operations on the 900-foot tank ship SKS Satilla, 65 miles south of Galveston, Sunday, March 8, 2009. Lightering operations began today, and weather conditions permitting, operations are scheduled to be complete Tuesday, March 10, 2009. The SKS Satilla is currently stable after sustaining damage to a large area along the port side of the ship's hull below the waterline. A remotely operated underwater vehicle contracted by SMIT Salvage retraced the tank ship's course to investigate the cause of the damage. The underwater vehicle discovered a submerged mobile offshore drilling unit, the ENSCO 74, in the vicinity of the ship's location prior to the incident. The ENSCO 74 was reported missing after Hurricane Ike. The unit's owner, ENSCO Offshore Company, has been notified. They are planning to place a marker buoy at the location, and salvage the unit as soon as possible. "Right now, we are achieving all of our objectives. The vessel remains stable and the crew is safe. No oil has been released into the water. We plan to continue offloading the entire cargo of over 41 million gallons of oil to two tank ships, and then ensure the damaged tanker makes it safely to a shipyard for repairs. The sunken mobile offshore drilling unit that we discovered today will be properly marked with a buoy to prevent additional accidents, and ultimately salvaged," said Cmdr. James Elliott, commanding officer of MSU Galveston. Video can be found by clicking on the following link: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=488832 A unified command consisting of the following organizations has been formed: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Texas General Land Office United States Mineral Management Service United States Coast Guard SMIT Salvage The O'Brien's Group American Eagle Tankers ENSCO Offshore Company SKS Obo Holding Limited ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

3-07-09: UPDATE 2: MSU Galveston monitors salvage operations on 900-foot tank ship SKS Satilla

2009-03-07T23:16:17Z

Office of External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard

News Release	Date: March 7, 2009 Contact: Lt. Tim Tilghman (409) 682-1907
MSU Galveston monitors salvage operations on 900-foot tank ship SKS Satilla
GALVESTON, Texas — Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Galveston is continuing to monitor salvage operations on the 900-foot tank ship SKS Satilla, 65 miles south of Galveston, March 7, 2009. The SKS Satilla is currently stable. SMIT Salvage used a remotely operated underwater vehicle to inspect the hull and discovered a large area of structural damage below the waterline on the vessel’s port side. Coast Guard personnel remain on-board to monitor the on-going salvage operation and to investigate the cause of the incident. At approximately 8:20 am Friday, March 6, the SKS Satilla crew reported that the tank ship was suffering an 8-degree port list due to an intake of water into the ship’s ballast tanks. The tank ship is reported to have approximately 41 million gallons of crude oil on board. A Coast Guard patrol boat, the SMIT salvage vessel Northern Canyon, and the oil spill response vessel NRC Admiral are currently on scene with the tank ship. Lightering operations are scheduled to begin Monday, March 9, 2009. “Our primary objectives are to ensure the safety of the crew and those responding to this incident, prevent any loss of oil from the damaged tanker, and to keep the SKS Satilla in a stable condition throughout this operation. With the aid of a remotely operated vehicle, the salvor has located the tank ship’s damage. Our next step is to safely and expeditiously transfer the oil cargo to two awaiting tank ships so that the SKS Satilla can be moved and repaired,” said Cmdr. James Elliott, commanding officer of MSU Galveston. A unified command consisting of the following organizations has been formed: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Texas General Land Office United States Mineral Management Service United States Coast Guard SMIT Salvage O’Brien’s Response Management ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

3-06-09: VIDEO AVAILABLE: MSU Galveston monitoring 900-foot tank ship taking on water

2009-03-06T19:05:50Z

Office of External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard

News Release	Date: March 6, 2009 Contact: Lt. Tim Tilghman (409) 682-1907 Petty Officer Renee C. Aiello (832) 293-1293
MSU Galveston monitoring 900-foot tank ship taking on water
GALVESTON, Texas - Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Galveston is monitoring a 900-foot tank ship, which is taking on water 65 miles south of Galveston Island, Friday, March 6, 2009. At approximately 8:20 a.m. the tank ship SKS Satilla, reported having an 8-degree port list due to taking on water in the ship's ballast tanks. The SKS Satilla is reported to have approximately 39.9 million gallons of crude oil on board. A Coast Guard Air Station Houston MH-65 helicopter crew conducted an over flight of the tank ship, and did not find any signs of pollution from the ship. The Coast Guard Cutter Manowar is currently enroute to the tank ship. The SKS Satilla is currently stable and there are no reports of any injuries to the crew. The Coast Guard is conducting an investigation into the cause of the incident. "We have three priorities in response to the SKS Satilla. First we want to make sure the crew on board the ship remains safe. We are also closely monitoring the ship to ensure there is minimal environmental impact, and of course the stability of the SKS Satilla is paramount to a positive outcome to this situation," said Cmdr. James Elliott, commanding officer of MSU Galveston. Coast Guard personnel are working closely with the following organizations on this response: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association United States Mineral Management Service Texas General Land Office SKS Obo and Tankers AS, ship's owner Video of the tank ship can be found by clicking on the following link: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=486256 ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.