JUGGLING MULTIPLE ROLES, NOAA RESPONDS TO THE M/V ATHOS I OIL SPILL
IN DELAWARE

Dec. 8, 2004 � NOAA employees work around the clock protecting and conserving the nation's precious natural resources. From creating and updating navigational charts to rescuing stranded animals, NOAA frequently wears several hats in order to fulfill its mission. A good example of this is the M/V Athos I oil spill, ongoing in the Delaware River near Philadelphia, that highlights NOAA's multiple roles in response to hazardous material spills. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the M/V Athos I taken Nov. 27, 2004, in the Delaware River after it spilled thousands of gallons of oil. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

On the night of Nov. 26, 2004, the M/V Athos I, a 750-foot tanker, lost an estimated 30,000 gallons of crude oil in the Delaware River. The tanker, registered in Cyprus, was carrying heavy crude oil from Venezuela. After inspecting the vessel, a 6-foot by 1-foot tear was discovered in the hull, which had breached a center cargo tank and port side water ballast tank. Initially, the spill was estimated at 30,000 gallons, but that figure was later increased to an unidentified amount. The oil continues to move downstream with river and tidal currents. The cause of the spill is still under investigation, though on December 7 a surveying crew found a 15-foot curved piece of pipe near the Athos I dock, which the Unified Command, a combination the federal and state responding agencies led by the U.S. Coast Guard, announced is what they believed to have caused the damage to the Athos.

NOAA is providing scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard, acting as a natural resource trustee, providing weather and oceanographic data, assisting with consultation requirements for endangered species, and operating a navigation survey of the accident site. The USCG is the lead federal agency for the response, and NOAA supports the response effort through on-scene and headquarters support. Responding quickly to the spill, NOAA currently has 16 employees on the scene with additional staff providing technical information from NOAA offices. (Click NOAA image for larger view of oil skimming in the Delaware River taken Nov. 30, 2004, after the M/V Athos I spilled thousands of gallons of oil. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

NOAA's role in responding to oil spills is critical to the success of the mission. Working together, various NOAA offices combine efforts to achieve one common goal.

The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration has a Scientific support coordinator based in each USCG district. Under the National Contingency Plan, the SSC is a resource that the USCG can call to provide scientific advice in response to spills. OR&R is currently assisting with trajectory modeling, oil fate forecasting, weather, information management and participating in overflights and resource and shoreline assessment. Trajectory modeling uses oceanographic, meterologic and hydrographic information to forecast where the spill might go and its potential effects on the coastal environment. Shoreline assessment is done by surveying affected shoreline, segment by segment, to collect information about the shoreline habitats and degree of oil contamination. This information is used to assist in both determining how cleanup resources will be used and identifying trust resources that have been impacted.

Key questions after an oil spill include the fate and trajectory of the oil are: where is it going to go; what will it look like; and how long will it take to get there. The responders prioritize placement of booms and other response equipment based on the computer model predictions from OR&R. Weather and oceanographic information are key input parameters and the NOAA National Weather Service is providing twice-daily forecasts of the spill area. Similarly the NOAA PORTS^®; is providing real-time currents and tidal elevations. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the beach cleanup near the Delaware River taken Nov. 29, 2004, after the M/V Athos I spilled thousands of gallons of oil. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

The Delaware River is a major port area and dozens of ships pass through the spill area to ports in Philadelphia and New Jersey. The NOAA Navigation Response Team, part of the NOAA Ocean Service, was activated to assist in the investigation of the accident site by identifying any obstructions in the river that may pose a risk to vessel traffic. NOAA was a member of the survey team that found the 15-foot pipe. In a separate action, on December 3, when participating in the surveying activities, the NOAA Navigation Response Team rescued the crew of an airboat involved in the response effort. The crew of five consisted of federal and contractor response personnel. All five were returned to shore uninjured.

NOAA is also a natural resource trustee. This means NOAA acts on behalf of the public as a trustee to manage, protect and restore coastal and marine resources. One way this is done is by assessing and restoring resources injured by oil spills or hazardous substance releases, including gathering on-scene information of what is oiled, and conducting studies and surveys to assess impacts from spills. That information is used to develop restoration plans to compensate for the injuries resulting from the spill. This includes working with the other state and federal resource agencies to develop a comprehensive plan that will address injuries to birds, fish, wildlife, marshes and other resources that may have been adversely affected. During the M/V Athos I spill, NOAA is serving as the Federal Lead Administrative Trustee, acting on behalf of all the natural resource trustees (federal and state) and is coordinating with the responsible party to develop a cooperative assessment of the incident.

NOAA Fisheries is assisting the response to the spill through expediting the necessary Endangered Species Act consultations. The Delaware River is home to the short-nosed sturgeon, an ESA-listed species. The consultation process is designed to minimize any potential impacts to the sturgeon and its habitat from cleaning up the oil.

Currently, more than 1,600 workers are involved in the response effort. Oil has impacted 85 miles of shoreline (as of Dec. 8) with an unknown quantity of oil still in the river. About 11,000 gallons or oil/water mixture has been recovered, but oil submerged in the river continues to be a very complicated issue. The Salem Nuclear Power Plant, the second largest nuclear power plant in the U.S., remains shutdown because of concerns of oil entering into the cooling water system for the facility. OR&R is providing a variety of field survey and computer modeling tools to help address the concerns of the facility.

Responding to the initial spill is only the beginning. Restoration efforts may take years to complete. Regardless of the amount of time involved or the number of hats NOAA must wear, it will continue to assist in the response and restoration of the M/V Athos I oil spill, as well as the other critical environmental needs of this nation.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation�s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Office of Response and Restoration

NOAA Aids for Oil Spill Responders

NOAA Damage Assessment and Restoration Program

Media Contact:
Ben Sherman or Glenda Powell, NOAA Ocean Service, (301) 713-3066