Diversified Environmental Services; Tampa Bay, FL

Tampa Bay, FL | 2009-Apr-01

Initial Notification: At 1130local, April 1, 2009, as a result of a collision while docking, roughly 2300gal (estimate as of noon, 2Apr09)) of waste oil (slops) was discharged from a barge owned by Diversified Environmental Services, Inc., into McKay Bay, a secondary bay of Tampa Bay, FL. Location of the spill was at the "Shrimp Docks" on the southwest side of the 22nd St. Causeway. The majority of the spill was apparently contained in the immediate vicinity of the dockside facility by the responsible party, since they are also an oil spill cleanup contractor whose HQ is at the dock where the oil was discharged. The collision opened a 2 foot long gash in the port forward quarter of the barge, puncturing one of the barges tanks. It is a single skin barge. NOAA ERD was apparently not notified, and the SSC learned of it through ARD personnel at 1850 local, 1Apr09, although the earliest reports indicated the spill was less than 1000 gallons and contained. A site visit on 2Apr09 by the SSCr in St. Petersburg collected further information.