Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Thousands of Gallons of Palm Oil Spilled during Transfer Operations from Chemical Tanker Ginga Leopard at Vopak Terminal, Savannah, River.







 

 

Coast Guard continues to monitor palm oil spill in Savannah River

National Response Center LogoSAVANNAH, Ga. — The Coast Guard continues to monitor the response to a palm oil spill that occurred Friday, along the north shore of the Savannah River, in the vicinity of Hutchinson Island.

As of 8 p.m., Monday, approximately 50 percent of the shoreline has been cleaned. Less than half a mile of the product remained within the containment boom along the river shoreline, and the majority of the product is contained.
Crewmembers from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Savannah have been closely coordinating with personnel from Moran Environmental, the company contracted to perform the clean up.

Palm oil is a material used in numerous everyday edible products and does not pose a danger to people or animals in the area, but the public is asked to avoid the area while cleanup operations continue. Additionally, while not harmful to humans or animals, the clean up of the palm oil is mandated by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. It could cause the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms in the water, causing the suffocation and death of native fish and other species.

Members at MSU Savannah were notified of the situation approximately 12 a.m., Saturday. The initial report stated that the incident began when the motor vessel Ginga Leopard was transferring the oil ashore at the Vopak Terminal in Savannah, Friday. The exact amount spilled remains unknown and the cause of the spill is under investigation.

Since the beginning of the incident, approximately 5,000 feet containment boom was deployed to contain the product along the shoreline.


Vopak Terminal Savannah

Commercial Contactperson details

Name
Charles Bradley
E-mail address
charles.bradley@vopak.com
Phone number
+1 912 964 1811 ext 117

Specifications

Capacity
  1. 235,811 cbm
Tanks
52
Tank types
Coated Steel, Mild steel, Stainless steel
Tank size
  1. From 80 to 12,000 cbm
Access
Barge, Pipeline, Rail, Truck, Vessel
Draught
11
Berths for barges
1
Berths for vessels
1
Products
Asphalt, Vegetable oils, Biofuels, Chemicals, Petroleum products
Services
Blending, Heating, Nitrogen blanketing, Weighing
Terminal type
Import/Export/Distribution
Division
Vopak Americas
Ownership
100.00%

Contact details

  • Address

    Vopak Terminal Savannah 280 Brampton Road Turner & Hart 31408-7390 Georgia
    Streets GPA -Gate 2
    USA
  • Tel

    +1 912 964 1811
  • Fax

    +1 912 965 9045