NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard and O'Brien's Response Management are responding to oil which is leaking from the motor vessel Pac Alkaid, which is anchored 10 miles southeast of Southwest Pass near Venice, La.
The Pac Alkaid reported the discharge to the Coast Guard at approximately 2 a.m. Friday, when it was anchored five miles southeast of Southwest Pass. Winds and currents pushed the oil to the northwest yesterday, which caused a sheen to wash up against the rocks of the Southwest Pass jetty. The Coast Guard ordered the vessel to move further offshore at approximately 11 a.m. Friday in order to lessen the impact of the oil on the shoreline.
The initial discharge of an estimated 12,000 gallons of bunker oil was caused by a hole in the Pac Alkaid's hull. The hole is approximately five centimeters in diameter, and lies five feet below the waterline. The hole penetrated the vessel's starboard fuel tank, which has a capacity of nearly 120,000 gallons of bunker oil. The cause of the hole is currently unknown.
O'Brien's Response Management hired the response vessel Louisiana Responder, a 220-foot vessel which is owned by the Marine Spill Recovery Corporation, to clean up the spill. The Louisiana Responder has been on scene since Friday, but oil recovery has been prevented by three-to-five foot waves and a lack of concentrated oil. The Coast Guard has conducted four helicopter flights with observers who have photographed and assessed the spill since Friday. O'Brien's Response Management hired commercial divers, who inspected the hole in the vessel's hull this morning. The divers are currently awaiting parts which they will use to attempt to plug the hole. These parts are expected to arrive later this evening.
The Coast Guard and O'Brien's Response Management have formed a Unified Command which is responding to this incident and will continue to monitor and assess the vessel's condition, the temporary repairs, and the clean-up.
We were wantin to head down there this week and was hoping that this would not mess us up. We wanted to come in and out of Venice for fuel etc and wonder if this will keep us out of Venice.
NEW ORLEANS — Divers patched a hole in the motor vessel Pac Alkaid Sunday, preventing further spillage of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and enabling the freight ship to successfully transit up the Mississippi River to a shipyard in New Orleans.
The initial discharge of an estimated 12,000 gallons of bunker oil was caused by a hole in the Pac Alkaid's hull which was approximately five centimeters in diameter and five feet below the waterline. At 2 a.m. Friday while the Pac Alkaid was anchored five miles southeast of Southwest Pass, the vessel's captain notified the Coast Guard that the ship was leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
O'Brien's Response Management hired divers who patched the hole on Sunday afternoon. The Pac Alkaid then transited up the Mississippi River and arrived at the Perry Street Wharf in New Orleans at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, where it is scheduled to undergo permanent repairs. During its transit, the Pac Alkaid was escorted by the NRC Energy, a response vessel owned by the National Response Corporation, which is 100 feet in length and capable of recovering oil from the water.
The Coast Guard and O'Brien's Response Management, a private response organization hired by the owners of the Pac Alkaid, formed a Unified Command and worked together to manage the spill response. During the response, the Coast Guard and O'Brien's group conducted a total of seven overflights with helicopters and airplanes from Friday through Sunday to assess the spill . O'Brien's Response Management hired the response vessel Louisiana Responder, a 220-foot vessel owned by the Marine Spill Recovery Corporation, to clean up the spill. The Louisiana Responder's efforts to recover oil were prevented by three-to-five foot waves and a lack of concentrated oil.
On Friday morning, winds and currents pushed the oil to the northwest, which caused a sheen to wash up against the rocks of the Southwest Pass jetty. Winds and currents pushed the oil towards the southeast, away from the coast on Saturday and Sunday. There have been no reports that the spill has impacted the shoreline since Friday.
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