Oil spill cleanup in Tinian Harbor completed
Photo:
Supplied/US Coast Guard
Cleanup efforts following a waste oil spill in Tinian Harbor concluded last weekend (8 June) with no significant impacts to wildlife or the shoreline, according to the US Coast Guard and local environmental authorities.
The spill,
estimated at 113.5 litres of waste oil
, came from the
Mariana
, a 145-foot US-flagged freight vessel, and was reported on 6 June.
Responders - including crew members from the
Mariana
and support vessel
Galide
- deployed containment and sorbent booms to trap the spill. The wind aided in concentrating the remaining oil in the harbor's corner, where it either evaporated or was removed by the cleanup crew.
Cabras Marine Corporation later resupplied response equipment on Tinian, and the
Mariana
continued on to Guam with the collected waste.
The US Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Saipan oversaw the operation. Coast Guard officials confirmed that no recoverable product remained and that the response was completed ahead of schedule.
"This is exactly the kind of swift, responsible action we expect from vessel operators," said Petty Officer 1st Class Jon Kramer of MSU Saipan. "Our mission is to safeguard public trust and Tinian's marine ecosystems."
The CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality and the Division of Fish and Wildlife also confirmed that no shoreline or wildlife impacts were detected.
Though an investigation into the cause of the spill was conducted due to the vessel's commercial status, the incident did not meet the threshold for classification as a serious marine incident warranting further federal inquiry.
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