The U.S. Coast Guard is reporting that at approximately 7:30am ET this morning, a diesel spill in New Bedford harbor in southeastern Massachusetts took place and cleanup is underway. It is not known at this point what caused the spill to take place, but the Boston Globe noted that the amount of diesel is a “retrievable quantity” meaning recovery should be permissive.

The spill was first spotted by a marine safety officer when he reported to the New Bedford Fire Department that he noticed the typical glossy hue reminiscent of fuel oil mixed with water. Alongside the New Bedford Fire Department and Coast Guard is the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Police who in tandem have set up a boom, or barrier, to contain the spill.

 

An independent contractor has been hired to perform cleanup duties with a keen oversight from the aforementioned agencies.

Despite the swift response and cleanup, NBC is currently reporting that “Harbor crews at the scene say it’s one of the largest they have seen in New England.”

The investigation is ongoing as Ed Coletta, spokesman for MassDEP, told the Globe “No source has been located at this point.”

Other notable New England oil spills include when the Liberian-native tanker Argo Merchant ran ashore off the coast of Nantucket in 1976 spilling the entirety of its fuel cargo aimed to heat 18,000 homes for a year; when Tank Barge Bouchard No. 120 was pierced by rocks off Westport, MA spilling between 22,000 to 98,000 gallons of oil into Buzzard’s Bay in 2003; and when the tank barge North Cape and the tug Scandia ran aground off the coast of South Kingston, RI emptying upwards of 828,000 gallons of home heating oil in Moonstone Beach in 1996.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to BostInno for the latest details as we’ll be sure to keep you updated as more information continues to be made publicly available.

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