F/V Miss Conch; Freeport, Texas

Freeport, Texas | 1998-Nov-04

Initial Notification: NOAA was notified of this incident on November 4, 1998, by MSO Galveston who requested a trajectory and brief assessment of the fate of the spilled diesel. The Miss Conch, a shrimp boat, was reported overturned 5 to 6 miles off the Texas coast. This is about 8 miles south-southwest from the entrance to the San Bernadino River. Initially a tow boat on-scene reported a small sheen that was being dispersed by the seas. A later overflight reported no sheen. The overturned vessel is thought to have about 2,000 gallons of diesel onboard. No significant sheens were observed in subsequent overflights. On November 5, 1998, the vessel was reported sunken about 3 miles offshore of Matagorda Peninsula. A sheen of 1 to 2 miles long by 40 yards wide was reported near where the ship sank. An updated trajectory was provided. An overflight on November 6 identified no surface pollution. The NOAA SSC remained in a standby position in anticipation of a situation change. USCG district 8. Keyword: none.