Incident News

Initial Report: Around 0700 on Sept. 1, 2025, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Marine Safety Unit Kodiak was notified that the fishing vessel SEA ERN (106 foot, 197GT) grounded in Izhut Bay off Afognak Island, Kodiak, Alaska. A good samaritan vessel was able to assist the SEA ERN and ground it on a sandy beach nearby to prevent the vessel from sinking but it had sustained a 12’x1’ gash in the bow that exposed two tanks totaling 4,000 gallons, with an estimated 3,500G diesel discharged into the bay. The vessel has an additional 12,790G aboard, totaling 16,290. The USCG requested a fuel fate and trajectory, assistance with the resources at risk, and Endangered Species Act and Essential Fish Habitat Consultation. The NOAA National Weather Service also provided spot weather forecasts. The vessel was patched and towed to Kodiak Harbor by the vessel salvage contractor. Oil sheen was found near "Whale Beach" where the vessel grounded and in Little and Big Kitoi Bay. Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association's Kitoi Bay Fish Hatchery deployed exclusion boom, however, sheen was noted in Big Kitoi Bay, where they are located. The sheen naturally dissipated.

Initial Report: U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Honolulu notified the Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) that a Grotto Tour boat sank at the pier in the Wailua River in Kauai. An estimated 10 gallons of diesel were on board and a sheen was observed in the small harbor. The boat owner, with assistance from a team from the USCG small boat station and Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, responded with sorbents and containment boom to prevent the release from moving out into the river. USCG requested the SSC assist with trustee notifications.

Mobil Oil Company in Guam contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) for the Pacific Islands, asking for information on wave height measurements from buoys or other sources for the Island of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. The information was requested to support imminent decisions related to a vessel situation. The NOAA SSC and National Weather Service provided assistance.

Initial Report: At 1723 local time, NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service issued Marine Pollution Surveillance Report (image collected 8/25/2025, 1648 UTC) for a location in High Island 170 Block, Gulf of America, approximately 35 miles south-southwest of Sabine Pass. U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Texas City contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) to confirm location, jurisdiction, and potential future satellite coverage for vicinity. USCG continues investigation to determine potential source and extent. SSC supporting remotely.

Initial Report: On August 22, 2025, at 1:13 pm CT, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was notified by the Louisiana State Police (LSP) of an explosion and fire from above-ground storage tanks at the Smitty’s Supply Inc. facility located in the Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. According to the LSP, the cause of the explosion is currently unknown. There are several residential properties near the facility, and an evacuation order within a 1-mile radius of the facility has been activated. Within hours of the notification, EPA deployed an EPA on-scene coordinator and technical assistance contractor (START) personnel to the response command post in Roseland to conduct community air monitoring and document the facility’s efforts to secure the release. There are currently 18 EPA employees and contractor staff providing support to the response effort. In addition, EPA's Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) aircraft has been activated and is performing wide-area air screening to support on-the-ground monitoring efforts. EPA is coordinating with multiple agencies and participating in Unified Command with Tangipahoa Parish, the Louisiana State Police, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, the Louisiana Department on Environmental Quality, and the National Weather Service (NWS). RRT 6 was activated on August 26 for technical support after EPA Region 6 assumed lead for response. An ISRT call was conducted on 26 Aug 26 and was attended by NOAA RRT 6 Rep and alternate. No specific requests for support from NOAA OR&R at this time. Impacts are currently restricted to EPA AOR, but waterway (Tangipahoa River) discharges into lake Pontchartrain. Site profile: https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=17038

Initial Report: On 8/18/2025, a discharge from a heating oil tank in the basement of Point Higgins Elementary School, Ketchikan, Alaska was discovered. On 8/21/2025, the discharge volume was upgraded from 200 up to 2,750 gallons. The basement did not contain the spill and fuel is ponding in the surrounding woods and reached the adjacent marine waters (Clover Pass, West Behm Canal).