M/V LORNA B; Upper Cook Inlet, Alaska

Upper Cook Inlet, Alaska | 1989-Aug-21

Initial Notification: The tugboat LORNA B was towing a barge through Cook Inlet when it became entangled in the towing cable and sank at 1800 on August 19, 1989. The tug, under charter to Marathon Oil Company to support the offshore Steelhead Oil Platform reconstruction, sank one-half mile north of the platform in 220 feet of water. The vessel contained approximately 80,000 gallons of diesel and had 11 people on board, all of whom safely escaped. The vessel slowly leaked some diesel, and a small slick was noted north and south of the location for several miles. Marathon Oil Company and the Cook Inlet Resource Organization (CIRO) responded to the spill by dragging sorbent booms through the rapidly dispersing slick. USCG district 17.