Dry Bulk Carrier Oil Spill Generates OPA-Style Response

by Alan Ginsberg

I’ve just come back from Eureka, California where MTI, an affiliate of International Marketing Strategies (the parent of Marine Money) was providing the media response on behalf of a Hong Kong-based ship operator whose ten year-old handysized bulk carrier had spilled fuel oil into the water. The incident occurred while the vessel was shifting during the loading of a cargo of wood chips in the early morning of November 5th. It struck a cement piling, puncturing a small hole in a fuel tank, and proceeded to spill nearly 5,200 gallons of Bunker C into the Humboldt Bay, one of the state’s most environmentally sensitive areas. The response at its height brought in close to 400 personnel from around the country, not counting volunteers. The US Coast Guard and State Agencies sent their respective Strike Forces. SMQI Services, Inc. acted as the Qualified Individual and brought in personnel resources from all over the country. Clean-up contractors and their equipment were mobilized throughout the West Coast of the United States.

Initial reports of the spill were seen on CNN. No less than five television local stations, five local and San Francisco-based newspapers, and several radio stations have covered the spill. Media interest continued into Week Two.

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