Mystery Spill, St. Croix; St. Croix to Puerto Rico

St. Croix to Puerto Rico | 1986-Apr-03

Initial Notification: On April 3, 1986, the U.S. Coast Guard received reports from several commercial aircraft flying over the site that a massive oil slick extended from St. Croix to Puerto Rico. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment in St. Croix dispatched a small boat to the slick location. The crew of the small boat had great difficulty locating the slick, although a commercial aircraft flying overhead confirmed that they were in the locale of the reported slick. The boat crew reported that the material was lightly concentrated, with only small patches of the product observable. The boat crew took a sample of the material, which had accumulated on the side of their boat. USCG district 5.