T/V Amazon Venture; Savannah River, Garden City, Georgia

Savannah River, Garden City, Georgia | 1986-Dec-04

Initial Notification: On December 4, 1986, at 2330, an oil spill of unknown origin at the Garden City, Georgia container berths on the Savannah River was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Marine Safety Office (MSO) in Savannah, Georgia. As the responsible party had not been identified, the On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) declared a federally funded spill to facilitate response measures. Early in the morning on December 5, before the source of the spill was known, personnel contracted by the USCG deployed containment boom at the Amoco and Southern Bulk Industries facilities. At first light, the Amazon Venture was boarded and inspected as it was believed to be the most likely source of the spill. The cause of the spill was later determined to be three malfunctioning valves in the ballast and cargo discharge piping of the Amazon Venture. USCG district 7. Keyword: Gulf Strike Team (GST), containment boom, National Wildlife Refuges, vacuum truck, manual removal, sorbent boom, high-pressure washing..