Incident News

On the evening of September 22, 2026, a Hunter Hawk jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Morro Bay, California. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC), requesting a trajectory analysis for 977 gallons of JP-5 (Jet Propellant-5). Additional information is unavailable at this time.

On September 22, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) about the commercial fishing vessel LINDA C that hit the Los Angeles breakwall and sank just outside the main channel on Sunday, September 20. No sheening or signs of discharge have been observed. The USCG is evaluating options and requested a worst-case discharge assessment from OR&R. The owner reported 30 gallons of diesel (maximum capacity 300 gallons) and 10 gallons of hydraulic fluid onboard.

On the afternoon of September 21, 2026, the OR&R Hazmat Duty Officer received a call from the Duty Officer from the city of Bellingham, Washington about an overturned refrigerated hydrogen tank truck. The worst-case discharge for the incident is 1.6 million cubic feet of ambient hydrogen. Although it was overturned, the tank truck does not have any obvious signs of damage or release. Requested products from OR&R are weather forecast and ALOHA air plume modeling.

On the morning of September 16, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Marine Safety Unit Cape Cod contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) regarding a commercial fishing vessel fire south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. No pollution was reported at the time but the USCG was requesting potential trajectory information from NOAA.

On September 14, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) regarding a fire at the cruise ship terminal pier in Whittier, Alaska. The tour boat Klondike Express also caught fire (with no passengers on board); the fire has since been extinguished. All 2,000 gallons of diesel on the Klondike Express have been accounted for and no sheen is reported. The cruise ship Norwegian Jade was docked at the pier and able to depart the area without damage.

On September 8, 2026, discharge of a sheen was noted at a Creole Operating wellhead in West Cameron Block 2. The wellhead is one mile south of the shoreline. At this time, it is unknown if Creole Operating is responding to this spill. NOAA's Emergency Response Division is assisting with weather forecasts and trajectory analysis.

NOAA NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service) Satellite Analysis Branch has been tracking several mystery sheens in Eugene Island Block 316 since early August 2026. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) are investigating the source of these sheens, but a source has not yet been identified. NESDIS Satellite Analysis Branch and OR&R's Emergency Response Division are assisting with the investigation.

On September 7, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector San Francisco notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) that a tanker truck containing asphalt was involved in a vehicle accident and went off the road into Trapper Slough near Area Contingency Plan region 2-974. An unknown amount of asphalt has been discharged from the tanker truck. An oil spill response organization (OSRO) is enroute. NOAA provided information about the behavior of asphalt products when they are spilled.

On August 30, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector San Francisco contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) regarding a sunken vessel in the Moss Landing Harbor District. The vessel is reported to be a 25-foot center console and is currently discharging fuel presumed to be diesel, creating a rainbow sheen approximately 50 X 100 yards. The amount of fuel on board and maximum capacity are currently unknown. The incident is within a quarter mile of two sensitive sites listed in the Area Contingency Plan (3-305 and 3-310). An oil spill response organization (OSRO) is enroute to float and remove the vessel. The USCG has requested a trajectory forecast from NOAA.

On August 27, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector New Orleans received notification of a crude oil spill from a TPIC (Texas Petroleum Investment Company) 3-inch flowline associated with the SOB 1A well head in block South Pass 24. A reported 150 barrels of crude oil was released into the marsh and adjacent waterway. Containment and cleanup are underway. An in-situ burn has been proposed. NOAA was requested for onsite and remote support.

On August 25, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Port Arthur contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) regarding an intermittent oil sheen observed at location WCB-657 (Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Bright Bank). The sheen was first reported on August 6, 2026, and has since generated multiple reports to the National Response Center, as well as Marine Pollution Surveillance Reports (MPSRs) from the Satellite Analysis Branch of NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service). The source of the discharge remains unidentified. Given the sensitive location within a National Marine Sanctuary, the USCG is requesting operational guidance and initiating an Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation to ensure response actions minimize potential impacts on protected marine resources.

On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) of approximately 50 dead cormorants along the Zuniga Jetty in San Diego, California. The cause of death is unknown. No sheen or other indication of pollution was observed. The SSC notified the Department of the Interior (DOI) Regional Environmental Officer and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife via their online mortality reporting form.

On August 24, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) of a mystery sheen, and potentially weathered oil, observed in Trading Bay, Cook Inlet, Alaska. The source is unknown, although the oil is in the vicinity of the Platform Spark, a shut-in and abandoned well. The USCG requested assistance preparing a Resources at Risk report. Further requests are likely if the extent of discharge and a source are determined.

On August 24, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Mobile contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) regarding a National Response Center report of a mysterious release of gas, causing significant bubbling in Mobile Bay near Dauphin Island, Alabama. The gas has a sulfur-like odor and the release location is near a natural gas pipeline, as indicated in ERMA (Environmental Response Management Application; OR&R's online mapping tool). The SSC is assisting with hazard assessment and identification of potential sources.

In the early hours of August 21, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) of a fishing vessel floundering off Point Reyes, California. The USCG responded at daylight and found the 58-foot fishing vessel RESOLUTION beached in the tidal zone with a reported 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board. Operations to lighter and/or remove the vessel are underway. NOAA is providing a trajectory forecast, resources at risk (ICS-232), and a spot weather forecast.

On August 19, 2026, the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) for District Oceania was notified of a vessel (M/V SLNC York) taking on water 700 nautical miles northeast of Saipan. The vessel contained 4,500 gallons of lube oil and 21,000 gallons of marine gas oil. Rescue and towing vessels are en route. The SSC requested satellite/visual imagery from NOAA NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service) to assess the pollution impacts of this event. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) indicated possible Oceania Regional Response Team (RRT) activation for dispersant use if fuel is discharged. NOAA is providing any available satellite imagery, will model observed oil anomalies, and provide recommendations as necessary.

On August 19, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector New York contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC), requesting a trajectory for an estimated 3,000-gallon gasoline spill from a truck rollover that occurred around 11am in Lawrence, New York. The fuel spill entered a storm drain that lets out into Hook Creek, a tributary into Jamaica Bay. The USCG requested a trajectory for the incident. The NOAA SSC developed a Resources at Risk report through the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) and spoke with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, as well. Around 11am an estimated 3,000 gallons of gasoline (note initial NRC report was 300, not 3,000 gallons) potentially entered a storm drain that

At approximately 4pm local time on August 18, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Detroit contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) regarding a fire at an industrial facility in Toledo, Ohio, near the mouth of the Maumee River. The SSC determined that EPA Region 5 is responding to a fire at a different facility upriver that involves a 40,000 gallon kerosene tank. The Interagency Modeling and Atmospheric Assessment Center (IMAAC) has issued a model. The USCG is enroute to the incident. Initial information indicates a 3,000 gallon molten sulfur tank is on fire. The SSC is providing spot forecast and hazard information while awaiting further details.

On August 13, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) of a diesel spill in the Breakwater Cove Marina in Monterey, California that produced a sheen of approximately 50' x 50'. The location is near Sensitive Site 3-370-A, identified in the Area Contingency Plan. California Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) is en route.

The NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) for California received a Marine Pollution Surveillance Report (MPSR) for a discharge 7 nautical miles southeast of Santa Barbara, California. The report was categorized as high confidence and the source appears to be Platform B. The SSC contacted U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Santa Barbara. No other report of the discharge has been made and the USCG is contacting the operator of the facility.