Oil spill in Shuyak Strait, 49 miles north of Kodiak, Alaska, Feb. 28, 2018. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
KODIAK, Alaska – Responders arrived and began a site assessment of the oil spill in Shuyak Strait, 49 miles north of Kodiak, Alaska, Thursday evening.
A light, unrecoverable sheen was observed near Port William in Shuyak Strait with an approximate 100-yard radius around the collapsed structure.
The initial site assessment identified oil in the immediate vicinity of the collapsed dock and ruptured fuel bladder. The site is partially submerged at high tide.
Responders anchored inflatable containment boom in the water around the spill to keep the oil from spreading. Absorbent materials are set within the boom to collect the spilled product.
“Now that the weather has allowed us to get on site, we’ve seen a lot of movement in a short amount of time,” said Geoff Merrell, State On-Scene Coordinator, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. “We are implementing immediate containment, assessment and clean-up plans, while considering the best course of action to complete this project as more information becomes available.”
No impacts to wildlife were observed during the initial assessment.
The Coast Guard has contracted Alaska Chadux Corporation and the vessels of opportunity involved are the Sea Strike, Nuka Island, Cecile Marie and Tiger Shark.
