UPDATE: ADEC Estimates 1,640 Gallons of Diesel Spilled by NOAA Ship

Jay Barrett/KMXT
An oily sheen in Women’s Bay has been traced to the NOAA research ship Rainier docked at Nyman Peninsula on the Kodiak Coast Guard base.
According to NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations spokesman David Hall in Silver Spring, Maryland, the spill volume was originally pegged at 400 gallons.
“We regret the incident and are working closely with the Coast Guard to minimize any environmental impacts and thank them for their assistance with the response,” Hall said. “We’re investigating the cause of the incident and are taking appropriate steps to ensure it does not happen again.”
Jade Gamble of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation in Soldotna says the spill was actually 1,640-gallons.
She said the spill was traced to a rupture in the bulkhead between a fuel tank and the grey water tank – which was not being used because the Rainier is connected to shore facilities. As the grey water tank filled with diesel fuel, an evacuation pump would occasionally kick on, discharging the fuel directly into Women’s Bay.
Gamble says tracing the problem took all day yesterday. Absorbent boom and a fuel skimmer are working to clean the spill, with a second skimmer being brought in to help. The spill was initially responded to by the Coast Guard, but responsibility will be turned over to NOAA, who is expected to hire a commercial clean up company to mop up the contamination.
Steps have been taken to contain the fuel around the Rainier and according to a NOAA spokeswoman, clean up will be done by the Coast Guard.
Calls to the bridge of the Rainier were referred to the Coast Guard’s Sector Anchorage office.
The spill was first reported Monday to the Coast Guard, and again at noon yesterday (Tuesday). Comments from locals on the Friends of Kodiak Facebook group reported the smell of diesel fuel coming from the direction of the base for several days.

Sheen and Stench in Women’s Bay Traced to NOAA’s Rainier

Jay Barrett/KMXT
An oily sheen in Women’s Bay has been traced to a NOAA research vessel docked at the Coast Guard base.
A Sector Anchorage spokesman said yesterday evening that the exact composition of the rainbow sheen had not been identified, but its volume has been estimated to be about 20 gallons. He said steps have been taken to contain the spill and that NOAA will be responsible for clean up.
According to the NOAA website, both research ships Rainier and the Fairweather are indicated to be tied up at Nyman Peninsula, but a NOAA officer at the ships’ homeport in Newport, Ore., says the web-based ship tracker is innacurate. The 231-foot Rainier is currently in Kodiak; the Fairweather is in Seattle.
The spill was first reported Monday to the Coast Guard, and again at noon yesterday. Comments from locals on Friends of Kodiak reported the smell of diesel fuel coming from the area for several days.