Tesoro Hawai’i officials have apologized for the spill of about 630 gallons of crude oil into the ocean at the company’s mooring point off Leeward O’ahu Sunday and are preparing to check Kaua’i beaches tomorrow for signs of the oil,
Tesoro Hawai’i officials have apologized for the spill of about 630 gallons of crude oil into the ocean at the company’s mooring point off Leeward O’ahu Sunday and are preparing to check Kaua’i beaches tomorrow for signs of the oil, despite repeating yesterday that the slick has moved away from the Hawaiian Islands.
Tuesday afternoon, an aerial surveillance by the Coast Guard, the state Department of Health and Tesoro showed streaks of sheen 17 miles southwest of Kalaeloa Point on O’ahu.
It was the second time in three years Tesoro spilled oil at the site. The first spill was in 1998 and involved more than 4,200 gallons, some of which reached Kaua’i.
“Tesoro regrets the incident (last Sunday) occurred and pledges to do anything we can to clean up the spill to the satisfaction of the Coast Guard and state,” said F. David Hoffman, manager of environmental affairs for Tesoro Hawai’i.
The Coast Guard expects the sun and wind will break down the sheen. Dispersants — used for the first time in Hawai’i — were highly effective in helping break up the sheen, as well, said Coast Guard Capt. Gilbert Kanazawa of the Marine Safety Office on O’ahu.
A Clean Islands Council oil spill response team was on the scene yesterday to monitor the oil and to begin a cleanup operation, officials said.
Initial media accounts Monday that the spill was moving to Kaua’i were inaccurate, according to Tesoro spokesman Nathan Hokama.
“It is not going to Kaua’i or O’ahu,” Hokama said. “It is heading in a southwesterly direction.”
Tesoro officials said they have received no reports of any impact to sea mammals, birds or marine life from the spill.
As a precaution, shoreline assessment teams consisting of representatives from the Coast Guard, Department of Health and Tesoro are scheduled on Thursday to walk along Kauai’s south and east shores to look for any oil impacts.
On Monday, other teams walked along beaches from the Barbers Point Lighthouse to the Kahe power plant on O’ahu and found no impacts, according to Tesoro.
“We will continue to monitor closely with the Coast Guard and the state,” Hoffman said.
Officials said crude oil leaked from the tanker Overseas Chicago into the ocean at 7:15 a.m. Sunday when a delivery hose coupling separated from a Tesoro buoy. The oil was being delivered to Tesoro’s refinery at Kalaeloa Point.
Equipment on the hose designed to contain the oil automatically prevented further release of oil, company officials said.
The coupling that separated is being inspected to determine why it leaked, Tesoro officials said.
The Coast Guard, the National Response Center and state officials were immediately notified of the spill.
At the height of the response, five teams were at the scene and vessels were mobilized, deploying booms, a skimmer and material to absorb the oil, officials said.
Officials said that dispersants to break the oil into droplets had been sprayed into the sheen Sunday afternoon and that nearly 40 percent was expected to break up in 24 hours.
Kanazawa and Hoffman also attributed the containment of the oil to quick teamwork of Tesoro, the state, the Coast Guard and oil-response contractors.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
