Officials are investigating and responding to a fuel leak from a docked cargo ship that has spilled an unknown quantity of oil into Los Angeles Harbor.
Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach received a report Sunday evening that there was oil around the Bahamian-flagged 577’ car carrier Istra Ace in the Cerritos channel at berth 198, as well as oil throughout the channel itself.
Coast Guard investigators responded along with officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response and the Los Angeles County Fire Department to place 15,600’ feet of containment boom around the Istra Ace and in the channel. An initial investigation aboard the Istra Ace revealed faulty piping that may have allowed oil to leak from the starboard side of the ship. The Coast Guard said Tuesday that the boom had contained the oil within the affected area and stopped further contamination of the harbor.
Live video: Officials discuss report of oil spill at Port of Los Angeles https://t.co/OVH09gpyv6 pic.twitter.com/jG1YkwWbzv
— KTLA (@KTLA) March 14, 2016
The Coast Guard said that the responsible parties were making cleanup arrangements with National Response Corporation and other subcontractors. The ship is owned by Ray Car Carrier, and managed by Stamco Ship Management. The Istra Ace was built in 2007 by Ulianik Shipyard in Croatia.
The Coast Guard has established a safety zone to restrict commercial and recreational traffic in the affected area, including closure of the Commodore Schuyler F. Heim Bridge to vessels transiting underneath.
Contractors are continuing to clean with sweepers and sorbent pads in the affected area and also any affected shoreline, as well as deploy resources for removal of contamination from vessels, docks, pilings and other structures. As of Tuesday morning, there had been no reports of oiled wildlife.
The Coast Guard conducted a helicopter fly-over and shoreline assessments to determine more precisely how much oil was spilled, but the agency has not yet released an estimate.
An investigation into the incident continues.
