Incident News

On September 16, 2022 USCG MSD Panama City contacted the NOAA SSC regarding a 40FT cabin cruiser taking on water in Tom's Bayou. Reportedly, the vessel contains approximately 200 gals of diesel fuel. Local Fire, FL FWC contacted USCG after receiving a distress call from passenger aboard the vessel. Passenger was removed from vessel for medical treatment and USCG is assessing availability of OSRO to address potential pollution removal. SSC provided information on fate and effects and resources at risk.

On 15-SEP-2022, USCG Sector Columbia River notified NOAA SSC of a mystery sheen that was observed approx. 1 mile offshore from Depoe Bay, OR. The sheen extends for approx. 700 yards, the quantity and type of product is unknown, a strong diesel odor was reported. A trajectory is requested to determine the extent of coverage for an overflight and if the oil will have shoreline impacts.

In the afternoon of 4-SEPT-2022, a seaplane went down on the west side of Whidbey Island near Mutiny Bay, WA. NOAA was not involved in the search and rescue activities. This ResponseLink is created to capture coordination efforts. NOAA assets have been requested for survey ops.

On September 3, 2022, USCG Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach contacted the NOAA SSC to request a hypothetical "what if" trajectory for a 40’ vessel that had sunk at a mooring ball in Isthmus Cove at Two Harbors, Santa Catalina Island. The P/C DAS PUG BOOT is not currently sheening and is apparently sitting on the bottom in roughly 45’ of water.

On September 2, 2022, the USCG Sector Mobile contacted the NOAA SSC regarding an approximate 100-200 gallon lube oil spill at the Chevron dock Pascagoula refinery into Bayou Casotte. Chevron activated their Facility Response Plan and reportedly contained the bulk of the oil (600-weight lube oil) with a containment boom within an hour of the discharge. USCG conducted further assessments including the shoreline in the vicinity of the source. The NOAA SSC provided information on resources at risk and cleanup techniques. No further support is requested at this time.

On September 2, 2022, USCG Sector Northern New England notified the NOAA SSC that they had received 3 separate reports from commercial pilots flying into the Portland Jetport of a black and rainbow sheen approximately 24 NM southeast of Old Orchard Beach Pier. The sheen was approximately 1NM long and .5NM wide. One pilot was able to take photographs. The USCG requested a hindcast to check if the source could be a potential historic wreck.

On August 29, 2022, USCG Sector San Francisco contacted the NOAA SSC regarding an algae bloom in San Francisco Bay that has recently been attracting media attention. The current bloom that has been developing for a few weeks has caused fish kills and rust/tea colored water and Sector has seen an increase in reports from the public concerned about discolored water. The algae has been identified as a Heterosigma species, commonly known to cause “red tides”. USCG requested amplifying information on this recent bloom as they continue to respond to reports from the public and assess their response posture.

On August 17, 2022, an potential spill was reported in a NOAA Marine Pollution Surveillance Report (MPSR) for West Cameron 498. The USCG MSU Port Arthur identified the spill as a natural gas condensate from a line owned by Stingray Pipeline, LLC. The company had been repairing a damaged pipeline and the discharge occurred when the line was repressurized. Stingray conducted an overflight, reporting a 12 miles x 1.5 miles sheen in West Cameron block 550. The estimate of discharge, based on overflight data, was approximately 35 bbls/1,478 gallons.

On August 16, 2022, the USCG Sector Columbia River notified the NOAA SSC that the F/V Lady Debbie ran aground south of the Grays Harbor Jetty in Westport, WA. There is potential for 6,000 gallons of diesel.