Cedar Island Ferry Breakwater; Cedar Island, Pamlico Sound, North Carolina

Cedar Island, Pamlico Sound, North Carolina | 1997-Jun-04

Initial Notification: A concrete vessel, the Robert A. Waterman, served as a breakwater for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Ferry Terminal at Cedar Island, North Carolina. The Robert A. Waterman was partially submerged and placed near the ferry landing by NCDOT in the 1970s. On the afternoon of June 3, 1997, approximately 40 gallons of diesel fuel created a sheen in Pamlico Sound. The sheen originated from a fuel tank of the Robert A. Waterman, punctured by a clam dredge during sand and silt removal operations in the cargo hold near the Cedar Island Ferry Landing. When the leak was discovered the construction barge operator dropped a load of sand onto the damaged tank to slow the oil leak. The vessel was lying on a sandy bottom in approximately 12 feet of water. USCG district 5. Keyword: none.