Oil spill at Port Manatee: More than 19,000 gallons of water contaminated, Coast Guard says

Ryan Ballogg
·3 min read
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A crude oil spill at Port Manatee has contaminated more than 19,000 gallons of water, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The spill was reported Friday via the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Response Center.

Crews contained the spill site with about 1,400 feet of boom and worked over the weekend to remove the oil-laced water from the port, the Coast Guard said. Cleanup efforts were ongoing Tuesday.

The water is being vacuumed up into a large container for disposal. Contaminated ship hulls were also being cleaned.

The Coast Guard is overseeing the investigation and cleanup of the spill. The military branch’s responsibilities include investigating offshore oil spills and environmental protection compliance programs at U.S. ports.

In updates on social media, the Coast Guard said that “the source and responsible party” have not been identified but are under investigation.

“Cleanup operations will continue until we are sure the oil is removed,” the Coast Guard said.

On Wednesday, the Coast Guard said that the cleanup had so far produced about 6.4 tons of oily debris and contaminated absorbent materials.

The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is being used to fund the cleanup efforts.

“We were able to get on scene before the oil spread out of the port, so that was really good,” Coast Guard spokesperson Nicole Groll said Tuesday.

“Getting all the oil is our goal, and we won’t stop cleaning until we do.”

Oil samples were being sent for testing to help identify the source of the spill, the Coast Guard said.

“We need to get to the bottom of it and make sure it doesn’t get farther out into the environment,” said Rusty Chinnis, chairman of water quality advocacy group Suncoast Waterkeeper.

“There’s a lot of sensitive mangrove and seagrass areas around there.”

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, whose district covers Manatee County and southern Hillsborough County, called the spill “deeply disturbing” in a statement on Tuesday.

“While no determination has been made as to the source of the spill yet, you can rest assured that I will continue to monitor the issue closely and work to hold any potential bad actors accountable,” a post on Buchanan’s social media account said.

SeaPort Manatee is located in northwest Manatee County at the mouth of Tampa Bay.

The port handles more than 11 million tons of cargo each year, according to its website.

Signs of oil spill pollution can be reported to the National Response Center at 800-424-8802.

Clean up crews have removed over 14,000 gallons of contaminated water from Port Manatee after a crude oil spill was reported Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Clean up crews have removed over 14,000 gallons of contaminated water from Port Manatee after a crude oil spill was reported Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
A crude oil spill was reported Friday at Port Manatee that contaminated 14,000 gallons of water. This is a drone shot Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023.
A crude oil spill was reported Friday at Port Manatee that contaminated 14,000 gallons of water. This is a drone shot Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023.