Date of incident: November 26, 2004.
Location:
Delaware River (near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
Trustees:
Case status: Draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and
Environmental Assessment (Draft DARP/EA) out for public comment.
Overview of the spill and restoration planning: On 26 November 2004, the M/T ATHOS I (Athos) struck
a large, submerged anchor while preparing to dock at a refinery in Paulsboro,
New Jersey. The anchor punctured the vessel’s bottom, resulting in the
discharge of nearly 265,000 gallons of crude oil into the Delaware River and
nearby tributaries.
See Map of the approximate location of the Athos oil
spill incident on the Delaware River.
Federal, state, and local agencies responded to the incident to supervise and assist in clean-up and begin
assessing the impact of the spill on natural resources. The U.S. Coast Guard
(USCG), working with the states of New Jersey and Delaware, and Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania created a Unified Command for directing clean-up
efforts. NOAA, FWS, and natural resource agencies within Delaware,
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania (collectively referred to as the natural resource
trustees) began collecting “preassessment” data on the natural and
recreational resources injured by the spill. This data provided the basis for
crafting the proposed restoration alternatives considered by the co-trustees.
Further, the collection of these data allowed the trustees to meet their legal
requirement (see below) to prepare a natural resource damage assessment
(NRDA) under the Oil Pollution Act (OPA).
See Preassessment Data Report,
Appendix a, b, and c;
Appendix d and e; Appendix
f and g; Appendix
h and i.
The Athos is a 750-foot, single bottom, double-sided tanker that was built in 1983. At the time of
the incident, the vessel was registered under the flag of Cyprus, owned by
Frescati Shipping Company, Ltd., and operated by Tsakos Shipping & Trading,
S.A.
The Athos departed Venezuela for the Citgo Asphalt Refinery in
Paulsboro, New Jersey on 20 November 2004, carrying approximately 13 million
gallons of crude oil. At approximately 9:30 pm on 26 November 2004, tug
operators assisting the Athos with docking at the refinery notified the
USCG that the tanker was leaking oil into the Delaware River. The vessel had
struck several submerged objects while maneuvering through Anchorage #9 to its
berth. Within minutes, the ship lost power and listed onto its side.
Surveys of the river bottom following the incident found several submerged
objects in the area, including an 18,000 pound anchor. The USCG’s investigation
of the incident determined that the anchor punctured the vessel’s number seven
center cargo and port ballast tanks. The bulkhead between the cargo and ballast
tanks was also damaged, allowing oil to migrate into the river.
The Unified Command initially estimated that 30,000 gallons of oil spilled into the River. This estimate was
revised to 473,500 gallons based on “worst-case” assumptions once the vessel
was stabilized. Following a more comprehensive analysis, the USCG provided a
final estimate of 264,335 gallons that spilled into the Delaware River.
At the time of the incident, the tide was incoming, and the current was moving quickly. Within the first few
hours, thick oil covered the River and moved upriver with the flood tide to
about the Walt Whitman Bridge, approximately six miles north. Over the
following weeks and months, oil from the ruptured tanker also spread
downriver, exposing natural resources over 115 river miles of the Delaware
River (280 miles of shoreline), as well as its tributaries. Over time, the oil
spill extended from the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge to south of the Smyrna River in
Delaware. Key resources exposed to the spilled oil included shorelines
(marshes, sandy beaches, tidal flats, etc.), aquatic organisms (fish,
shellfish, etc.), birds and other wildlife that use the Delaware River and Bay,
as well as recreational areas used by the public. The incident also forced the
USCG to close the Delaware River to commercial traffic for over a week.
Meanwhile, submerged oil resulted in the contamination of water intakes
and the closure of the nearby Salem Nuclear Power Plant.
Findings from the trustees' assessment indicated injuries to shorelines (e.g., wetlands, beaches,
etc.), tributaries, birds, aquatic habitats, and recreational uses. Based
on these findings, the trustees developed several alternative restoration
projects, both ecological and recreational, to address these losses. These
alternatives were then narrowed down to nine preferred projects.
Preferred restoration projects (to see more details, please see the Restoration
Activities page):
-
Freshwater tidal wetlands restoration at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
(PA)
-
Creation of oyster reefs (NJ, DE)
-
Darby Creek dam removal and habitat restoration (PA)
-
Habitat restoration at Mad Horse Creek (NJ)
-
Shoreline restoration at Lardner's Point (PA)
-
Blackbird Reserve Wildlife Area Pond and Pasture Enhancement (DE)
-
Improvement of the Stow Creek boat ramp (NJ)
-
Installation of a breakwater at Augustine Boat Ramp to address ongoing shoaling
immediately offshore of the boat ramp (DE)
-
Enhancement of the recreational trail on Little Tinicum Island (PA)
These proposed projects are outlined in the trustees' Draft Damage
Assessment and Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (DARRP/EA),
which is presently being made available for public comment. The DARP/EA
outlines the findings from the trustees' injury assessment studies, which
indicated injuries to shorelines (e.g., wetlands, beaches, etc.), tributaries,
birds and wildlife, aquatic, and recreational uses. The document then outlines
the trustees' preferred restoration projects to
address these losses.
Legal requirements: Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) (33 U.S.C. §2706(b)), state and federal
agencies are designated as natural resource trustees, responsible for assessing
natural resource losses and restoring those losses to baseline conditions, that
is, the conditions that would have existed had the incident not occurred.
Regulations promulgated under OPA provide a framework for conducting a damage
assessment, including preassessment, restoration planning, and restoration
implementation (15 C.F.R. Part 990). Funds to assess losses and to plan and
implement appropriate restoration are provided by either the responsible party
(RP) or, if an RP does not exist or exceeds its limit of liability, the Oil
Spill Liability Trust Fund established under OPA.
In this case, the RP met its limit of liability and the trustees will be submitting a claim to the Trust
Fund via the National Pollution Fund Center.
1) Lardner's Point, Philadelphia
Shoreline Restoration
External Partners: Delaware River City Corporation, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Fairmount
Park Commission.
Addressing Injuries to: Shoreline habitat.
Project: Demolishing existing hard shoreline structures, importing fill
material, grading the site to restore tidal inundation, and creating intertidal
marsh and wet meadow habitat.
Total Acreage: 0.9
Ecological Benefits: Restoring habitat to benefit fish, avian, and
mammalian species in an urban portion of the river heavily impacted by the
spill.
Economic Benefits: Public access to a restoration site in the spill
zone; creating a link in the North Delaware Riverfront Greenway; education,
environmental justice, wildlife viewing, fishing, preservation of open space.
2) Darby Creek, Pennsylvania
Dam Removals and Stream Habitat Restoration
External Partners: American Rivers.
Addressing Injuries to: Tributary habitat.
Project: Removing three dams and a remnant bridge pier; restoring
riparian and in-stream habitat 1,000 feet upstream and downstream of each
obstruction.
Total Acreage: 2.6 miles of river habitat will open up to anadromous
fish such as alewife, striped bass, and shad; approximately 10 acres will be
restored along the shoreline.
Ecological Benefits: Restoring tributary habitat will improve creek
health, and provide anadromous fish habitat.
Economic Benefits: Fishing, educational, recreational, flood protection,
boost to the local economy during construction.
3) John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Pennsylvania
Freshwater Tidal Wetland Restoration
Addressing Injuries to: Tributary habitat.
Project: Creating a series of tidally connected channels, shallow pools,
and fringing shrub/scrub wetlands to restore 7 acres of freshwater tidal
wetland.
Total Acreage: Restoring 7 acres will benefit 56 acres
Ecological Benefits: Restored tidal exchange, wildlife habitat
enhancement.
Economic Benefits: Wildlife viewing, small boat recreation, education.
4) Little Tinicum Island, Pennsylvania
Trail Improvements
Addressing Injuries to: Recreational resources such as trips lost and
diminished value.
Project: Installing a permanent trail, two observation decks, and a
"breakaway bridge" to cross a small wet area.
Benefits: Recreational opportunities similar to those lost during the
spill (such as wildlife viewing, hiking, fishing, and picnicking) and
preserving the area from erosion by visitors currently walking on make-shift
trails, as well as providing educational benefits.
5 ) Augustine, Delaware
Rock Jetty Restoration
Addressing Injuries to: Recreational resources such as trips lost and
diminished value.
Project: Installation of a rock jetty to limit sediment build-up in the
channel around the boat ramp.
Benefits: Preventing shoaling that currently affects the use and safety
of the facility; the ramp is an important emergency response location for local
and state agencies responding to boating accidents, oil spills, and homeland
security issues associated with the nearby nuclear power plant.
6) Mad Horse Creek Wildlife Management
Area, New Jersey
Marsh, Meadow, and Grassland Restoration
Addressing Injuries to: Birds and wildlife and shoreline habitat.
Project: Restoring 62.5 acres of degraded marsh, and creating 35 acres
of wet meadow and 100 acres of grassland.
Total Acreage: 197.5
Ecological Benefits: Food, roosting, and nesting habitat for birds.
Economic Benefits: Wildlife viewing, hunting, boost to the local economy
during construction.
7 ) Stow Creek, New Jersey
Boat Ramp Restoration
Addressing Injuries to: Recreational resources such as trips lost and
diminished value.
Project: Widening and lengthening the existing public boat ramp,
currently in poor condition, and adding a small courtesy dock to assist with
boarding, loading, and unloading of people.
Benefits: Expanding boating access to Stow Creek and the Delaware River
and providing safer conditions for boaters, hunting, fishing.
8) Blackbird Reserve Wildlife Area, Delaware
Habitat Restoration
Addressing Injuries to: Birds and wildlife.
Project: Excavating two shallow wetland ponds; converting 16 acres of
farmland to pasture; establishing 24 acres of food plots for migratory geese by
modifying existing agricultural practices.
Total Acreage: 41.8
Ecological Benefits: Providing resting and foraging areas for migratory
geese.
Economic Benefits: Wildlife viewing, preservation of open space,
hunting.
9) Delaware River, Delaware
Oyster Reef Creation
Addressing Injuries to: Aquatic resources and birds and wildlife.
Project: Creating oyster reefs in the Delaware River through direct
placement and recruitment and placement of bushels of spat.
Total Acreage: 78
Ecological Benefits: Enhances benthic habitat, benefits reef organisms,
improves water quality.
Economic Benefits: Oyster harvesting is expected 5 years after shell
placement, boost to the local economy during construction.
10) Delaware River, New Jersey
Oyster Reef Creation
Addressing Injuries to: Aquatic resources and birds and wildlife.
Project: Creating oyster reefs in the Delaware River through direct
placement and recruitment and placement of bushels of spat.
Total Acreage: 78
Ecological Benefits: Enhances benthic habitat, benefits reef organisms,
improves water quality.
Economic Benefits: Oyster harvesting is expected 5 years after shell
placement, boost to the local economy during construction.
