Unified Command continues response for diesel spill near Port Reading
September 11, 2018
NEW YORK – The Unified Command at Port Reading, N.J., continues to respond to and clean up a diesel fuel oil spill that occurred Thursday night at the Buckeye Terminal.
The Marine Transportation System in the Port of New York and New Jersey was affected as the spill contaminated areas of the the Arthur Kill waterway, creating a domino effect leading to multiple vessels being diverted and two facilities impacted.
The Unified Command are working quickly to re-establish the energy supply chain. One of the docks at Buckeye is now able to resume petroleum operations.
Numerous vessels as well a second fuel facility on the Arthur Kill have been decontaminated and have also resumed operations.
Though the Arthur Kill Waterway is not closed, Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) measures are in place, and any vessel that transits the waterway in the area is to go through with no wake.
Multiple Oil Spill Removal Organizations have been contracted to clean up the oil, which includes placing boom around the affected facilities and sensitive areas, as well as deploying skimming vessels to recover product in the water. Shoreline cleanup assessment teams are in place assessing the impact to the local area. As of Sunday afternoon, an estimated 50,000 gallons of oily product has been recovered during clean-up operations.
The Unified Command continues to monitor recovery efforts to ensure safety of personnel, the protection of the environment, and the resiliency of our Marine Transportation System, especially in light of the impending storm in the next couple of days.
The Unified Command includes the following agencies:
- U.S. Coast Guard
- Buckeye Terminal
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
- New York State Department of Environmental Protection
- Environmental Protection Agency
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NEW YORK, NY —
The Coast Guard is responding to a diesel fuel spill that occurred in the Arthur Kill Waterway near Port Reading, New Jersey, Thursday night.
At approximately 7:15 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New York received a report of a diesel fuel spill during a product transfer at the Buckeye Terminal in Port Reading.
Due to high winds and rain at the time of the incident, facility personnel were unable to calculate the exact amount of fuel spilled into the waterway.
A pollution response team from Coast Guard Sector New York is currently on scene to help mitigate the situation. An oil spill removal organization has been contracted to clean up the spill, and they have placed containment boom in the water.
Representatives from Middlesex County Hazmat, New Jersey Department of Environment Protection, and the Environmental Protection Agency are also responding to the incident.
One barge was involved in the spill and is inside the containment boom. The condition of the barge is being evaluated by the federal on scene coordinator and marine inspectors from Sector New York.
All fuel transfers at the facility are temporarily suspended until investigators can determine the cause of the spill and the facility can safely conduct fueling operations.
Coast Guard Sector New York Vessel Traffic Service is monitoring all marine traffic in the immediate area. All concerned vessel traffic should contact Vessel Traffic Service at 718-354-4088 or the Sector Command Center at 718-354-4152.
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation. However, spills of oil and other products during loading or unloading of barges are not uncommon.
The Buckeye Port Reading facility is located in Woodbridge Township, NJ, approximately 2 miles north of Buckeye’s Perth Amboy Terminal. Port Reading offers over 6 million barrels of refined products and residual fuel oil storage, with exceptional connectivity via the Buckeye and Colonial pipelines, and an array of 5 berthing options to enhance its value. Port Reading also has a high-volume truck rack, as well as an LPG-by-rail system offering up to 30,000 bbl of butane capacity for blending. The facility is an important location for gasoline blending for supply out via vessel or for end destinations along the Buckeye pipeline system.
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By Noah Cohen
ncohen@njadvancemedia.com
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Authorities were at the scene of a spill at the Buckeye Terminal in Port Reading that sent an unknown amount of diesel fuel into the Arthur Kill Waterway, officials said Friday.
The mishap was reported around 7:15 p.m Thursday and occurred during a product transfer at the terminal, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
"Due to high winds and rain at the time of the incident, facility personnel were unable to calculate the exact amount of fuel spilled into the waterway," the Coast Guard said in a statement.
"All fuel transfers at the facility are temporarily suspended until investigators can determine the cause of the spill and the facility can safely conduct fueling operations," the statement said.
A representative for the Buckeye Terminal could not be immediately reached.
The Coast Guard said it deployed a pollution response team to the scene and an oil spill removal company was called to handle the cleanup. Crews put a containment boom in the water.
More information was not immediately available Friday. The cause of the spill was being investigated.