Ecology, Coast Guard, NRC and Ballard Diving respond to fuel spill in Port Orchard

By Curt Hart, Ecology Communications Manager, 360-480-7908

SEATTLE – The Washington Department of Ecology, U.S. Coast Guard, NRC Environmental Services and Ballard Diving & Salvage will work tomorrow to raise the Top Notch, an 85-foot boat that sank and spilled diesel fuel today inside the Railway Marina in Port Orchard in Kitsap County.

Federal, state and private responders deployed oil containment boom around the area where the boat sank to keep approximately 50 gallons of fuel from further spreading into the marina. They also put out absorbent pads to collect oil on the water.

The Top Notch sank late Saturday, Dec. 3, inside the Railway Marina with about 300 gallons of diesel fuel on board. Divers today were able to close the vents on the boat, which kept more fuel from being released to the water.

Ecology, Coast Guard and cleanup contractors will work tomorrow to raise the Top Notch and safely pump out any remaining fuel and conduct an aerial over flight to determine if any oil has gotten outside the marina.

It is likely that a thin film of unrecoverable fuel may be visible tomorrow morning in Sinclair Inlet.

The reason why the Top Notch sank is under investigation.

Contacts:

Curt Hart, Ecology Communications Manager, 360-480-7908 (curt.hart@ecy.wa.gov)

Walter Daniels, Coast Guard media relations, 808-392-6405

For more information:

Ecology Spills Program (www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/spills.html)

Ecology homepage (www.ecy.wa.gov)

USCG Homepage (http://www.d13.uscgnews.com/go/doc/21/473415/)

First blog about this spill incident (http://ecologywa.blogspot.com/2011/12/ecology-coast-guard-and-railway-marina.html)

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