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Department of Ecology News Release - February 11, 2008
08-037
OLYMPIA – Findings from a Department of Ecology (Ecology) investigation into a December 2006 fuel spill have resulted in separate penalties against the owner of the ship and a tank barge operator.
Ecology has handed a $14,000 penalty to Seattle’s Olympic Tug & Barge, Inc. for spilling 50 gallons of diesel fuel to the Columbia River during a fuel transfer on Dec. 4, 2006, to the car carrier Cosmos Express while the vessel was moored at a Port of Vancouver berth.
After the fuel transfer, the Olympic barge had disconnected its fueling hose from the Cosmos Express hose. The tank barge crew member lost control of the ship’s hose and it swung out over the side of the tank barge, spilling the fuel to the barge’s deck and into the Columbia River.
The captain of the Cosmos Express quickly reported the spill to the U.S. Coast Guard and Ecology. However, the Olympic barge’s tankerman initially reported only a small spill to the barge deck. Ecology and Coast Guard inspectors found diesel fuel downstream of the ship’s berth the next day. The crew member then admitted fuel had indeed reached the river.
“This was an unfortunate incident that was compounded by the actions of a worker in charge of the oil transfer,” said Ecology’s Jim Sachet, who oversees spill response activities in southwest Washington. “Anytime oil is spilled to water, it damages the environment. We rely on quick and accurate information from the spiller to make sure that the oil spill is controlled and cleaned up as much as possible.”
An Ecology investigation found that Olympic Tug & Barge was negligent for the spill due to poor positioning of the barge and transfer hoses, hose connections, hose draining procedures, and inexperience of the lead worker who was under pressure to hasten the job. Once informed of the spill, the company cooperated fully, giving department investigators access to crew members, vessels and documents.
The immediate cause of the spill was linked to the tankerman’s failure to follow company procedures. He was fired by Olympic for failure to follow company policies, including notification of the spill to appropriate authorities and the company.
Barber Ship Management of Malaysia, which operates the Cosmos Express, is being fined $1,000 for the diesel spill to the river because the fuel came from that ship’s hose. They were not found negligent.
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Media Contacts: Curt Hart, 360-407-6990; cell, 360-480-7908 (char461@ecy.wa.gov)
Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239; cell, 360-791-9830 (kisc461@ec.wa.gov)
For more information about oil spills: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/spills.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
