LILCO Power Cable; Northport, Long Island, NY

Northport, Long Island, NY | 1996-Dec-12

Initial Notification: On the morning of Dec. 6 the T/B TEXAS broke loose from its mooring at the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO), Northport Platform, 2.4 nm east of Eaton's Neck Point, offshore of Northport, Long Island, NY. The barge dragged its anchor across powerlines that run from the LILCO powerplant in Hicksville, NY across the bottom of Long Island Sound to Connecticut. Four of the seven cables were damaged with at least two completely severed. The coolant oil within the cables was released. This dielectric fluid is DCL 45 (chem. name dodecylbenzene). The estimate is that 5000 gallons had been lost as of Wednesday afternoon, 11 Dec. Also as of Wed. afternoon two of the cables were successfully capped by divers. USCG district 1.