SAN FRANCISCO – Yesterday evening, approximately ten gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the Monterey Harbor from a 38-foot local fishing vessel.
On Sunday at 8:30 p.m., the Coast Guard received a report from the Monterey harbormaster that fuel had spilled in the harbor and was contained within four boat slips. Coast Guard Station Monterey responded and identified that the fuel was released by a bilge pump on a nearby fishing vessel. A Coast Guard crewmember boarded the vessel and secured the bilge pump. The harbormaster notified the vessel’s owner, who quickly responded with sorbent boom and pads. All oiled materials were recovered and new materials were deployed overnight.
This morning, Coast Guard pollution investigators arrived on scene and reported that a light sheen remained, which was no longer recoverable by sorbent materials. The sheen is expected to naturally dissipate and containment boom remains in place.
The cause of the spill was determined to be a broken fuel line which discharged fuel into the vessel’s bilge and activated the bilge pump. Repairs to the fuel line have been made by the owner.
The Coast Guard, harbormaster and responsible party all took appropriate actions which resulted in a timely and effective response. All oil spills should be reported to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.
