Coast Guard contains Long Beach diesel spill
The U.S. Coast Guard expects to complete cleanup of a diesel fuel spill in the Port of Long Beach before noon Pacific Standard Time, Public Affairs Officer Trent Kelly said.
About 710 gallons of diesel spilled out of vent pipes on the Libyan-flagged tanker Al Jalaa Monday evening as it was taking on fuel from shore to run the vessel. The accident did not involve crude oil being unloaded from the tanker at the Tesoro Oil Corp. terminal, but temporarily forced the closure of the port's inner waterways
The Coast Guard deployed about 5,000 feet of containment boom immediately after the spill. Skimmers cleaned the water outside the boom, and 95 percent of the work has been completed within the boom, Kelly said.
The sea service must wait until all the oil is offloaded because the last piece of the response involves cleaning the diesel oil off the pilings, which requires the use of portable machines that run off generators because skimmer boats can't get underneath the pier. The machines require electrical generators, which are unsafe in the presence of fuel because they could spark a fire.
Kelly said the cause of the accident is under investigation.
The Long Beach Press-Telegram, which first reported the incident, said Libya's state-owned General Maritime Transport Co. purchased the al Jalaa from a Japanese firm in 2009. In November of that year, the 835,000-barrel tanker collided in the Singapore Straits with a 13,800 TEU containership operated by Mediterranean Shipping Co. The MSC Kalina suffered a hole above its waterline requiring it to go to dry dock for repairs. No injuries or spills were reported. ' Eric Kulisch
Coast Guard contains Long Beach diesel spill
