Barge RTC320; Arthur Kill

Arthur Kill | 1997-May-15

Initial Notification: At approx. 0040 5/15/97, a barge being loaded with No. 2 fuel oil overfilled spilling an estimated 1014 bbls (42,588 gallons) into the Arthur Kill. The spill location coordinates are 40 deg. 35 min. 17 sec. N, 74 deg. 12 min. 33 sec. W. The apparent cause of the spill was the deckhand fell asleep during the loading operation. The barge was boomed prior to fuel transfer operations; most of the oil was contained within the boom. Response contractor is on-scene. Some oil has moved south to just north of the Outer Bridge Crossing.- - Trajectory/Forecast: - The tide will change at 1100. Forecasted winds should push the oil towards the Staten Island side of the kill. Trajectory, ADIOS, and weather analysis predicts a 90% evaporation of the oil within 12 hours. - - No NOAA personnel are anticipated to respond on-scene at this time. USCG district 1.