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
Oil Spill | Richmond, California | 1917 - Present
Hazardous Waste Site | Trainer, Pennsylvania | 1900 - Present
Hazardous Waste Site | Woburn, MA | 1853 to 1969
What Happened?
Between 1853 and 1969, The Industri-Plex Superfund Site was an industrial facility that produced pesticides, munitions, leather goods, and glue. Byproducts of these operations were released on the site contaminating groundwater, soil and sediments. During the 1970s, when the site was being developed for further industrial use, soil excavations uncovered and mixed the wastes and products accumulated for more than 130 years, aggravating the ongoing contamination.
Oil Spill | Corpus Christi, TX | December 2022
What Happened?
On December 24, 2022, a pipeline failure at the Ingleside crude oil terminal Dock #5 in Corpus Christi Bay (“Bay”) occurred. The terminal and pipeline are owned by Flint Hills Resources (“Responsible Party”). The pipeline failure released approximately 14,000 gallons of light crude oil into Corpus Christi Bay. The responsible party worked with local, state, and federal agencies to establish a command post in Corpus Christi, Texas from December 30, 2022, through January 5, 2023.
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) MSU Valdez notified the Alaska Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) regarding a vessel grounding that occurred in western Prince William Sound on Friday, December 5, 2025. All persons onboard were rescued. Due to severe weather, recovery operations were delayed. The USCG subsequently informed the SSC that the Responsible Party (RP) has been unable to locate the vessel. If the vessel is not located, USCG did not plan any further action. They asked the SSC to confirm that the ~50 gallons of fuel would quickly dissipate, which she confirmed.
Around 0800 on July 26, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) District 1 notified the New England Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) that there was a dielectric fluid discharge in the Mill River area of East Rockaway, New York with a potential total release of 2,000 gallons.
On November 23, 2025, an asset of Hilcorp released an unknown quantity of crude oil into Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana. The release produced a 2-mile slick/sheen. The release has been secured. An Oil Spill Response Organization (OSRO) was onsite. The U.S. Coast Guard requested a fate and trajectory analysis from NOAA.
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