M/V Cape Mohican; San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California | 1996-Oct-28

Initial Notification: At about 1530, October 28, 1996, the M/V Cape Mohican, a 725-foot Maritime Administration (MORAD) vessel, discharged an estimated 1,950 barrels (about 81,000 gallons) of IFO 180. The discharge occurred while the vessel was in Drydock #2 of the San Francisco Drydock Shipyard at pier 70, San Francisco Bay. Most of the oil was retained within the drydock, with an estimated 200 barrels (about 8,000 gallons) released into the waters of San Francisco Bay. The discharge is believed to have resulted from transfer from a stabilization tank, where an open valve discharged stored fuel through a seachest. Weather at the time of release was winds south-southwest at about 14 knots and getting dark. The weather changed soon after, with winds increasing up to 25-knot gusts and heavy rain. USCG district 11. Keyword: containment boom.