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M/V Falcon Duchess

NOAA/OAD was notified of the incident on September 4, 1986, by the U.S. Coast Guard Marine
Safety Office, Jacksonville, and requested to provide information concerning resources at
risk and cleanup recommendations.  Specifically, NOAA indicated that the river shoreline
from Commodore Point to the Trout River consists mainly of sheltered rocky shore and
seawalls.  This shoreline type has a high sensitivity to spilled oil because the oil
becomes stranded and persists for long periods of time.  Numerous encrusting organisms
such as algae, mussels, oysters, and snails would be affected in this area.  NOAA
indicated that the areas most sensitive to spilled oil would be in the small patches of
marsh, especially near Miller's creek.  Plants, wildlife, and sediment normally found in
marshes are highly sensitive to oil.  NOAA recommended that gravel beaches, sheltered
rocky shores, and sea walls be cleaned using pressure flushing combined with sorbent or
containment boom.  In marsh areas, NOAA recommended very low pressure flushing, not to cut
or remove oiled vegetation.  Workers' traffic in the marshes and inadvertently working oil
into the sediment would cause further damage to the plant life.