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Vista Bella

No. 6 fuel oil is a heavy product with an API gravity that ranges from 7 to 14.  A slick
was observed downcurrent from the source (extending from 17 18 N, 062 21 W to 17 26 N, 062
31 W) by observers on a USCG flight on March 7.  This slick, which was estimated to cover
an area of 7.5 nautical miles, contained patches of sheen with some areas of brown oil.
Personnel from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted
that islands up to 100 miles from the source could be oiled under the prevailing
conditions.

Personnel aboard a French Customs overflight on March 9 observed the slick moving to the
northwest toward the strait between Saba and St. Maarten.  Beach oiling first occurred on
the islands of St. Maarten (Netherlands Antilles), St. Barthelemy (French), St. Kitts, and
Nevis.  Beached oil was confirmed along 14-16 nautical miles of shoreline on St. Maarten
and St. Barthelemy by March 12.  March 14 overflight observers estimated the slick to be
12 miles long by 200 feet wide.  Coverage of oil within this area was estimated at 80
percent, with some breaking up observed at the leading edge of the slick.  Although
dispersant operations were discontinued on March 15, observers on a March 17 overflight
noted that the Vista Bella continued to release oil.  The area east of St. Kitts escaped
oiling.  Beach survey results indicated the presence of minor oiling along the rocky
shoreline of Sand Bank Bay, and regularly occurring tarballs (2-5 inches) mixed in with
the seagrass and sand between Muddy Point and Dieppe Bay.  No cleanup of this second area
had occurred as of March 19.

By March 25, tarballs were coming ashore on Culebra Island (Playa Brava) in Puerto Rico,
200 miles from the source.  Chemical fingerprinting confirmed that the oil was from the
Vista Bella.  Personnel at Playa Larga (Puerto Rico) reported a one-kilometer band of
oiling with 100 percent coverage.  Oil was also reported on the seaward bases of reefs in
the area. Cayo Barca, a NOAA reserve on San Juan, was oiled by tarmats up to one meter in
diameter.  Eight nautical miles of shoreline on St. John required cleanup and received
final assessment on April 8.  Cleanup crews recovered tarballs and oiled seagrass.
Skimming operations conducted near the source of the spill from April 16-25, failed to
recover any measurable oil.