Waste Oil Discharge Observed from a Freighter on the Earth Day
A general cargo vessel has discharged nearly 20 gallons of waste oil into the Hudson River on 22nd April 2016, the Earth day, for which the captain faces several violations of water regulations.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation received information about the oil sheen observed on the water around the general cargo vessel which was docked in Rensselaer, New York. The investigation was done by DEC officer Brian Canzeri, members of DEC’s spill response team and port authorities in which the captain of the ship revealed that a build-up of pressure in the vessel’s waste oil tanks had caused oil to back up through vent pipes and spill onto the deck.
Canzeri and the response team found that crew members had collected the spilled oil and poured at least 20 gallons into the ship’s drain ports on deck, which discharged directly into the river.
The oil dissipated before the response team could contain it. The discharged oil was determined to have caused only minimal environmental impact.
Now, the captain faces several violations which include:
- Discharging waste oil into waters of the state.
- Failure to contain waste oil.
- Unlawful disposal of used oil.
- Failure to report an oil spill.
A further investigation revealed that the crew had stored 55-gallon drums of waste oil in the hull of the ship along with several open 5-gallon pails of oil. Immediately, DEC called USCG and the USCG inspectors confirmed that she had overfilled waste oil tanks and excessive waste oil on board.
The USCG ordered the removal of 4,000 gallons of waste oil from the vessel and mandated repairs to her engines before she can leave the port. USCG and DEC are continuing their investigation.
Source: Hudson Valley News Network
