F/V Tenyo Maru; Neah Bay, Washington

Neah Bay, Washington | 1991-Jul-22

Initial Notification: At approximately 0815 on July 22, 1991, the fish processor vessel Tenyo Maru and the Chinese freighter Tuo Hai collided in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 20 miles west of Cape Flattery, Washington, and 20 miles south of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Ten to fifteen minutes after the collision, the Tenyo Maru sank in an estimated 350 feet of water. The Tenyo Maru, carrying 6,500 barrels of intermediate fuel oil, 2,166 barrels of diesel oil, and some quantity of lube, bilge and fish oils, began leaking oil shortly after it sank. There were conflicting reports of the weather at the time of the collision, several reports claiming that the weather was clear, while others maintained that it was foggy. The incident occurred in Canadian waters very near the Canadian/United States boundary. The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) implemented the Canadian/U. S. Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan. Since the spill occurred in Canadian waters, the CCG took the lead role in coordinating the spill response. Ultimately, the majority of shoreline oiling occurred in the United States. The USCG federalized the U.S. cleanup effort, accessing funding through the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, on July 30 when the owner of the Tenyo Maru discontinued funding the cleanup. The Tenyo Maru continued to leak oil after it sank, with the largest amount released shortly after the sinking. Response to the incident continued into late August. The bulk of the response effort was scaled down by August 29, as the amount of oil being released from the sunken vessel on a daily basis had reduced significantly. The Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard planned to monitor the spill site for at least another month with regularly scheduled overflights and beach surveys as warranted. USCG district 13. Keyword: Collision, remotely operated vehicle (ROV), boom, skimmer, suction operations, International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), pompoms, sorbents, manual removal, sinking..