Caribbean Gulf Facility Catano; Catano, Puerto Rico

Catano, Puerto Rico | 1998-Feb-23

Initial Notification: On February 23, 1998, a security guard at the Caribbean Gulf Refinery facility reported oil in the water. Initially the amount was thought to be 2000 barrels of diesel fuel. The source, as determined by USCG personnel, was a below-ground pipeline. Boom was placed across a nearby canal where oil was seeping, containing most of the oil. The T/S Dion, unloading just before the incident, was also boomed. A USCG helicopter overflight on February 23 determined that all the product was contained in the booms. Sorbent pads and two vacuum trucks were used in the canal to recover discharged oil. Samples of the spilled oil spilled from the pipeline and the T/S Dion were collected. Visual inspection indicated noticeable differences between the two. Two trenches were dug to act as collection points significantly increasing the efficiency of the trucks. USCG district 7. Keyword: boom, vacuum truck, sorbent pads.