Feed aggregator

On January 17, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Delaware Bay notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) that a 74-foot wooden yacht with 600 gallons of diesel fuel on board, sank in an area approximately 5 miles east and offshore of Shark River Inlet, New Jersey. Extensive sheening was observed by the USCG, with the sheen appearing to be drift in a northerly direction. Sector Delaware Bay requested from NOAA trajectory and resources-at-risk descriptions.

On January 16, 2026 a TPIC flow line in Southwest Pass 24 spilled approximately 10 barrels of oil into marsh adjacent to the Mississippi River. The U.S. Coast Guard requested NOAA assistance to determine appropriate cleanup techniques.

At midday on January 14, 2026, the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) in Northwest District was notified of a 67' fishing vessel that grounded in Port Orford, Oregon. Approximately 1000 gallons of diesel had already been removed and a salvage company was enroute to destroy the vessel. U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River wanted to discuss salvage operations and requested a resources at risk report to assess potential impacts during demolition.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Southeast Alaska notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) of a 300-gallon discharge from a residential home heating oil tank. The fuel had migrated from the crawl space through the driveway and into the storm drain, resulting in a visible sheen at the outfall in Sitka Sound. The incident location is in close proximity to the Sitka National Historic Park and the Sitka Sound Science Center. The USCG has requested the following support: a fuel trajectory based on local currents, if possible; an assessment of resources at risk; a spot weather forecast.

On January 12, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Mobile notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) of a fire aboard a salvage auto barge that caught fire and ran aground on the Mobile River downstream of the Cochrane Bridge. The USCG requested support from the NOAA SSC regarding threat assessment and possible modeling of smoke plume. The NOAA SSC provided initial recommendations on air monitoring, as well as spot weather forecast. More details regarding site conditions and the barge cargo are pending further assessment. The USCG Gulf Strike Team is enroute to conduct air monitoring. The SSC remains on standby for further support.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) that they would be federalizing the removal of fuel from the F/V Pacific Maid. The vessel sank in October 2025, but the vessel could not be located. In December, a sheen was reported and the vessel was found. USCG requested support from NOAA regarding Endangered Species Act (ESA) Consultation.

NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) observed an anomaly in satellite imagery which was suspected to be oil. The possible discharge was observed along the track of a suspected source vessel. (The product indicated a potential oil spill that may not be confirmed by ground truth data.) The NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) contacted the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and an investigation was begun. USCG contacted the vessel in question and their shipping agent and determined the anomaly was produced by a legal discharge of palm oil. The vessel master confirmed tank washings were discharged legally 35 NM offshore, meeting all depth, speed, and location requirements stipulated by the regulations and the discharge was fully compliant with MARPOL Annex II. The NOAA SSC communicated this information to the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and informed NESDIS.

At approximately 0815 hours on January 5, 2026, Texas Petroleum Investment Company (TPIC) discovered a leak on a 6-inch injection line that is associated with the SL 1923 #28 Well northeast of their W-1 Facility in the South Pass 24 Oil & Gas Field (Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana). It was estimated that approximately 15 barrels (630 gallons) of crude had been released in a flotant/roseau cane-based marsh. An assessment conducted on January 5 by Sector New Orleans, and Forefront showed that approximately 0.65 acres of marsh were impacted. An in situ burn (ISB) plan was developed and has been proposed as the most viable, least impactful response strategy and an incident-specific Regional Response Team call was conducted on January 7 to seek approval for use of burn agents/accelerant, if needed. Approval was granted by the State, Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Coast Guard with concurrence from the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and NOAA. The ISB is planned to begin January 8 if conditions continue to be suitable. The NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) is providing technical support and may be requested on-scene to assist in operations.

At approximately 4am on January 5, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Arctic District Command Center in Juneau received a report that the fishing vessel Arctic Sea was taking on water and aground along the northern shoreline of St. George Island (Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea) with nine people aboard. The Coast Guard launched a helicopter, aircraft, and USCG Cutter Alex Haley and were able to rescue all nine without incident. At the time of the rescue, the vessel had nine inches of water in the galley from an unknown ingress. An oil spill response organization has been contracted to oversee salvage operations of the grounded vessel, which had 50K gallons of diesel on board. The USCG requested NOAA assistance with a spot weather forecast, fuel fate and trajectory, and resources at risk.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Lower Mississippi contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) at 0915 on January 1, 2026 regrading a sunken ITV (inspected towing vessel) in the vicinity of Mile Marker 457 of the Mississippi River. The vessel contains 4,200 gallons of diesel and 100-200 gallons of gear and lube oils. The vessel reportedly sank in 60 feet of water with no observed oil discharges. An OSRO (oil spill response organization) is on scene to conduct containment and recovery operations as needed. The USCG requested from NOAA information on water intakes and sensitive environments downstream of the area. The NOAA SSC provided an ERMA (Environmental Response Management Application) query and an IPaC (Information for Planning and Consultation) report. Further assistance with assessment of salvage operations and/or emergency consultation may be needed.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska informed the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) that eight vessels had sunk at the various docks in Juneau, Alaska due to heavy snow and ice between 12/29-12/31/2025. The USCG is coordinating with the owners and harbor masters to defuel and refloat the boats. Phone support was provided to USCG on the persistence of diesel or gasoline in harbors.

On Dec. 29, 2025, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Mobile contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) regarding a fugitive air release of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) gas from the Chevron Pascagoula refinery. The release was reported to be ~115 lbs of H2S. The SSC provided hazard assessment and recommendations for monitoring and source confirmation. Upon follow-up with Chevron personnel, the source was reported to have been secured and no levels of H2S were observed above any action limits. No further support is anticipated.

The NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator was notified by U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Santa Barbara that an approximately 45-foot sailboat has beached near East Beach in Santa Barbara, California. The U.S. Coast Guard intends to remove all hazardous materials and fuel on board if it is safe to do so. No additional support has been requested at this time.

The OR&R Hazmat Duty Officer received a call from the answering service on the morning of December 15, 2025. The NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) followed up with a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) contact and was notified that an18-foot fiberglass vessel was adrift near Dillon Beach, last spotted Saturday, December 13, and was involved in a search and rescue operation. No support was requested. An estimated 3 gallons of gas was still on board.

Ship Grounding | Mona Island, Puerto Rico | August 2023 What Happened?

  Oil Spill | Sitka, Alaska | March 2022
  What Happened?

Hazardous Waste Site | Washington, DC | Late 1800s to present What Happened?

Oil Spill | Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana | October 2017 What Happened?

Hazardous Waste Site | Wilmington, DE | 1935-2017 What Happened?

Hazardous Waste Site | Houston, Texas | 1960s - Present