T/V Anitra; Big Stone Anchorage, Delaware Bay

Big Stone Anchorage, Delaware Bay | 1996-May-09

Initial Notification: On May 9, 1996, the 846-foot T/V Anitra, carrying 41.9 million gallons of crude oil, reported approximately 200 gallons of oil bubbling from below her waterline. The vessel was anchored at Big Stone Anchorage in Delaware Bay. The on-scene weather was light winds, air temperature 49?F, with overcast skies and calm seas. The DBRC's two skimmers, Del River and Del Bay, and the National Response Corporation (NRC) skimmer Patriot response vessels, dispatched to the scene, boomed off the vessel and began skimming operations. Initially, it was believed that the oil was leaking from the sea chest, indicating the possibility that cargo was leaking into the ballast water piping. Observers on an overflight the next morning reported a steady stream of product extending from the vessel's stern to sea in a south-southeast direction for 3.5 miles, followed by a 3.8-mile sheen. After the first day, the estimate of oil spilled was raised to approxiñmately 10,000 gallons; after 10 days the estimate was 42,000 gallons. Diver surveys were conducted to identify the source of the leak. Approximately 600 barrels of an oil/water mixture were recovered by skimmers. USCG district 5. Keyword: endangered species, shallow water recovery, skimmers, tourism losses, Tri-State Bird Rescue.