U.S. Coast Guard corrals Fernandina oil spill
Federal, state and local agencies under the watch of the U.S. Coast Guard scrambled to maintain a 'small' oil spill at the Nassau Terminal in Fernandina Friday evening that was apparently caused with oil and water from a ballast tank on a small containership overflowed on the deck and poured into the Amelia River.
The Coast Guard said the overflow occurred on the 396-foot vessel Seaboard Rio Haina. The exact amount of oil that went into the river was not determined, by a small amount of oil found in the vicinity of Rayonier Reach in the Amelia River was quickly recovered by Jacksonville Pollution Control.
Members of Nassau County Emergency Management and Fernandina Beach Fire Rescue conducted shoreline assessments and found no areas with significant pollution.
The Coast Guard said the vessel operating had been adjusting the ballast to keep the vessel properly trimmed while containers were loaded on board. But a ballast tank overflowed in the process. Jacksonville Pollution also cleaned the oil from the deck of the vessel.
The ship was temporarily held in port, but cargo loading was allowed to continue while investigators looked into the cause of the spill.
U.S. Coast Guard corrals Fernandina oil spill
