Hapag-Lloyd’s Dublin Express Cleared to Leave New York

Hapag-Lloyd’s Dublin Express, which spilled oil in a New York terminal, was cleared for departure on April 4, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The vessel received a green light to leave from New York Container Terminal in Staten Island following completion of repairs and cleaning.

Up to 100,000 gallons of heavy fuel-oil are believed to have been released by the vessel during its transit along the East Coast to New York. The total amount of oily-water recovered in the Arthur Kill Waterway is approximately 35,000 gallons, according to the USCG.

The Hapag-Lloyd container ship spilled fuel oil after suffering a hole in its hull. The hole was detected in the evening hours of March 28 during the ship’s unloading operations at the terminal near the Goethals Bridge.

Fuel was escaping from the roughly 40 x 40-centimetre opening, Hapag-Lloyd earlier said, adding that the hole was sealed only hours after it was sighted.

Prior to the incident, the 4,120 TEU container ship encountered heavy swell while sailing from Port Everglades to New York.

The Unified Command, consisting of state and federal agencies and the responsible party, will continue cleanup operations until all impacted parts of the Arthur Kill Waterway are fully restored.

Cleanup operations in Jacob Riis Park concluded Tuesday and there’s been no new reported impacts in that area. Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (SCAT) teams identified a small amount of tar balls in Atlantic Beach and are evaluating them to confirm the source.