TV ARCO TEXAS; Ferndale, WA

Ferndale, WA | 1999-Jun-27

Initial Notification: At 1355 MSO Puget Sound was notified by Tosco Refinery that 25 bbls of Alaskan North Slope Crude oil had spilled into Hales Passage at the Tosco Refinery in Ferndale, WA. The spill resulted from the separation of two loading arms on the dock when the T/V ARCO TEXAS stern drifted away from the dock when the mooring broke. The source of the oil was secured automatically when the loading arms broke. The cause of the incident is under investigation by the Coast Guard. The oil traveled north parallel with the shore and by 2000 extended as a band of heavy sheen streamers as far north as Birch Point. Skimmers are on scene attempting to use absorbant mops to pick up the sheen. Shoreline assessments between Tosco Refinery and White Horn Point noted sheen trapped in eelgrass along several sections of the shoreline near White Horn Point south of Birch Bay, but no direct shoreline impacts. Potential resources at risk include herring spawning areas, surf smelt spawning habitat, birds and sensitive bays and estuaries. USCG district 13.