Crowley Barge Tanker 570; Flaxman Island, Beaufort Sea, Alaska

Flaxman Island, Beaufort Sea, Alaska | 1988-Aug-21

Initial Notification: During the night of August 20, 1988, the Crowley barge tanker 570, en route to Kaktovik in northeast Alaska, struck an iceberg and lost approximately 68,000 gallons of Arctic heating fuel. The release occurred while the barge was halfway between Prudhoe Bay and Barter Island. When the release was noticed at first light on August 21, measures were taken to immediately pump the remaining fuel to other tanks. Low ceiling and patchy fog conditions hampered aerial detection of the fuel spill. USCG district 17.