Boston Oil Spill Contained

The US Coast Guard Sector Boston pollution response crew has responded to an oil spill from the USNS Fisher, dry docked at the Boston Ship Repair facility.

The spill, estimated at approximately 11,000 gallons, is self-contained in dry dock and there is currently no oil in the water, the Coast Guard said.

At approximately 9 p.m., July 9th, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Boston received a report of an oil spill in the vicinity of Drydock Avenue, in Boston.

Responders included a Coast Guard Sector Boston facility and pollution response team, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the Boston Fire Department.

Response teams placed 600 feet of double boom around the dry dock to ensure no oil enters the water and six commercial vacuum trucks were deployed to clean up the spill.

 Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeanette Wheatley, a marine science technician at Coast Guard Sector Boston, said:

“Our goal now is to continue to mitigate the impact to the environment and port, and to monitor air quality levels in the surrounding area.”

In an average year, the US Coast Guard responds to 250 reports of pollution in the northeastern U.S.

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Press Release, July 11th, 2014