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Vista Bella; 12 miles NE of Nevis Island (British), eastern Caribbean

12 miles NE of Nevis Island (British), eastern Caribbean | 1991-Mar-06

Initial Notification: On March 6, 1991, the Vista Bella sank in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 12 miles northeast of Nevis Island (British). The barge, carrying 13,300 barrels of No. 6 Fuel Oil, sank in approximately 2000 feet of water. The wind speed on the day of the incident was approx. 6-10 knots. The cause of the sinking was not determined. The barge was owned by Offshore Marine Limited and operated under the Trinidad flag. Dispersant was applied from March 9-15, within a two-nautical mile area of the source. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Atlantic Strike Team (AST) was on-scene from March 14-23. Contractor beach cleanup began on March 27. USCG district 7. Keyword: Atlantic Strike Team (AST), FINASOL OSR-7, adverse weather conditions, manual removal, skimmer, fingerprinting..

Incident Details
Products of concern:No. 6 Fuel Oil
Total amount at risk of spill: 559,000 gallons
Latitude (approximate): 17° 17.00′ North
Longitude (approximate): 62° 18.00′ West
On-Water Recovery: Unknown/Not applicable
Shoreline Cleanup: Unknown/Not applicable
Dispersants: Applied
In-Situ Burn: Unknown/Not applicable
Bioremediation: Unknown/Not applicable