The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) says approximately 1,100 gallons of diesel was spilled on 15th February after a tug boat, the Samson Mariner, ran aground while towing a barge, the Saint Elias, near Rosa Reef in north Tongass Narrows, Alaska.
The leak in the Samson Mariner is said to have been patched by Alaska Commercial Divers and the tug has since been refloated and anchored in Ward Cove with the barge it was towing at the time of the grounding.
“We are working closely with our partner agencies to recover as much of the spilled product as possible,” Captain Shannan Greene, commander of the Coast Guard Sector Juneau, said on Thursday.
“When spilled, this type of diesel spreads quickly into thin films forming patches of rainbow and silver sheens. We expect the sheen to break up within the next 12 to 24 hours, with scattered sheens potentially still visible under the low wind conditions forecast for tomorrow.”
Greene said the spill was not expected to impact sensitive areas or wildlife, noting that the USCG works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to mitigate such risks.
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Source: U.S. Coast Guard
