T/B LBT 62; Chalmette, Louisiana

Chalmette, Louisiana | 1994-Dec-22

Initial Notification: At 0530 on December 22, 1994, USCG MSO New Orleans received notification of an oil spill at mile marker (MM) 88 on the Mississippi River. The wake from the M/V Medicine Bow forced tank barge LBT 62 onto a piling, holing the barge on the aft starboard side of tank #5. The total cargo of LBT 62 was 20,000 barrels of Alabama sweet crude oil, with 1,800 barrels in tank #5. The initial rate of release was estimated to be 10 barrels per minute. Shoreline impacts were reported by 0700; at 0730, the source of the spill was reported secured. An estimated 911 barrels had been released into the water. The USCG established a safety zone between MMs 89 and 75. On-scene weather was overcast, temperature 50?F, winds north-northwest at 6 knots, and current 3 knots. An ICP was established at the MSO with members of USCG, state, and the RP. Also at the MSO were the NOAA SSC and state and Federal refuge managers. USCG district 8. Keyword: containment boom, vacuum truck, skimmers, FLIR.