USCG vessel spills oil in Alaska

A United States Coast Guard (USCG) ship has spilled hydraulic oil into the sea in Womens Bay, Kodiak, Alaska.

On 26 December, USCG said it responded “to a report of a discharge of hydraulic oil from Coast Guard Cutter Spar”. The initial report was received at around 9:40 a.m. (local time).

The exact amount of oil discharged from the buoy tender was unknown but the tank had a maximum capacity of about 914 gallons, according to the coast guard.

Coast Guard Sector Anchorage Incident Management Division and Marine Safety Detachment (MSD) Kodiak personnel are monitoring the cleanup which has been contracted to Choctaw Defense Services (CDS).

Personnel on scene deployed boom systems, absorbent pads, and a skimmer that is pumping to a vacuum truck.

The source of the discharge has been secured, and the cause is under investigation, the coast guard added.

“Our primary focus is on mitigating potential impacts to the environment,” Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Thorne, a pollution responder from MSD Kodiak, said.