T/B Atlantic; Eagle Island, North Carolina

Eagle Island, North Carolina | 1998-May-28

Initial Notification: USCG MSO Wilmington conducted a detailed boarding of the uninspected towing vessel (UTC) Porpoise and the barge Atlantic on May 28, 1998, to determine compliance with pollution prevention regulations. The Porpoise had brought the Atlantic into the Port of Wilmington and both vessels were moored at the Eagle Island terminal. Initial reports from the crew of the Porpoise and her owners suggested that the Atlantic was only carrying "clean ballast." However, MSO Wilmington investigators were given reports that the tank barge was carrying liquid waste material, or possibly vegetable oils, or possible tank washings consisting of various edible oil residues and caustic-based solvents. On June 5, 1998, the owner of the Atlantic arranged for a marine chemist to evaluate the condition of the barge and to take samples of the liquid carried in the tanks. Those samples were to be sent to a laboratory for analysis. The marine chemist's atmospheric monitoring revealed that at least three of the cargo tanks were oxygen deficient (<15% oxygen). During the sampling, MSO personnel observed liquid material that was very different from ballast water in several barge wing tanks (#1 port, #1 and #5 starboard) . MSO Wilmington also sampled a number of the cargo tanks of the vessel including an 1800 gallon integral diesel fuel tank located in the aft rake of the barge. Those samples were forwarded to the USCG Marine Safety Laboratory (Case Number 98-213) to classify the materials in the barge for regulatory purposes. USCG district 5. Keyword: none.