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Summary

P 280204Z MAR 01

FM COGARD MSD CORAM NY

TO CCGDONE BOSTON MA//M/CC//

COMDT
COGARD WASHINGTON DC//G-MRO//

COMCOGARD NPFC WASHINGTON DC

COMCOGARD MLC
LANT NORFOLK VA//FCP//

COGARD MSO LONG ISLAND SOUND NEW HAVEN
CT

COMCOGARDGRU LONG ISLAND SOUND NEW HAVEN CT

COMCOGARDGRU MORICHES
NY

COMCOGARDACT NEW YORK NY

BT

UNCLAS //N16465//

SUBJ:  POLREP FIVE, MINOR,
T/B RHODE ISLAND SPILL, NORTH SHORE, LONG

ISLAND, MC01003947.

1.
SITUATION:

A. GROUP/MSO LONG ISLAND SOUND RESUMED MONITORING CLEAN UP AT
0600.

OPERATIONS WERE CONCENTRATED IN FLAX POND, PORT JEFFERSON HARBOR,
AND

ROCKY POINT, NY.

B. EASTERN AREA, FROM CEDAR BEACH TO WILDWOOD STATE
PARK, IS REPORTED

TO BE FREE OF OIL BY THE CONTRACTORS.  USCG AND NYS DEC
WILL MONITOR

THE AREA OVER AT LEAST THE NEXT 48 HOURS FOR RE-OILING.
WESTERN AREA

EXPERIENCED RE-OILING IN WEST MEADOW BEACH, FLAX POND, AND
WHITE

BEACH.  A NEW AREA OF POLLUTION WAS FOUND IN LONG BEACH, PAST
THE

ORIGINAL WESTERN LIMIT, INVESTIGATED, AND DETERMINED TO BE MINOR.

C.
PLANS FOR 28MAR01 CONSIST OF RE-EVALUATION OF AFFECTED AREAS.

CLEAN UP
EFFORTS WILL BE CONCENTRATED IN WEST MEADOW BEACH, FLAX POND,

AND PORT
JEFFERSON HARBOR.  EMPHASIS WILL BE PLACED ON WEST MEADOW

BEACH, DUE TO THE
FACT THAT A PIPING PLOVER, AN ENDANGERED SPECIES,

WAS OBSERVED TO BE OILED.
NYS DEC AND USFWS MONITORING SITUATION.

ESTIMATE CLEAN UP OPS UNTIL
29MAR01.

D. FEDERAL FUND (FPN B01105) HAS BEEN OPENED TO RECOVER AGENCY
COSTS.

CEILING REQUESTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM NYS DEC AND THE DEPARTMENT
OF

INTERIOR (USFWS).

E. SO FAR TWELVE WATERFOWL HAVE PERISHED, UP TO 100
HAVE BEEN TARRED.

NYS DEC AND USFWS ARE MONITORING THE SITUATION CLOSELY.

F.
THUS FAR, COST OF CLEAN UP HAS REACHED $333,000 AS OF 26 MARCH..

TOTAL
PERSONNEL ON SCENE WAS 134; 93 CONTRACTORS, 16 CG, 13 NYS DEC, 6

USFWS, AND
7 TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN PERSONNEL.

G.  PUBLIC AFFAIRS

1.  PARTICIPATED IN A
PRESS CONFERENCE AT 1200 HOSTED BY TOWN OF

BROOKHAVEN SUPERVISOR, JOHN
LAVALLE.  FOSC & SOSC PROVIDED UPDATES OF

CLEAN UP EFFORTS AND RESPONDED TO
MEDIA QUESTIONS.  PRESS CONFERENCE

ATTENDED BY THREE NY TELEVISION PLUS
ADDITIONAL PRINT MEDIA.  THE NEXT

PRESS CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD AFTER
PRIMARY CLEAN UP EFFORTS ARE

COMPLETE.

2.  FOSC PROVIDED DAILY UPDATE TO
CONGRESSMAN GRUCCI'S STAFF FOLLOWING

PRESS CONFERENCE.

3. MORAN TOWING HAS
PROVIDED A PHONE NUMBER FOR CLAIMS RELATED TO THE

SPILL.  IT IS
1-888-422-2524.

B.  CURRENT WEATHER:  31F, NW WINDS 5 KNOTS, CLEAR.

C.
RESPONSIBLE PARTY:   T/B RHODE ISLAND

                         MORAN TOWING
AND TRANSPORTATION

                         #2 GREENWICH PLAZA


GREENWICH, CT  06830

2.  ACTION TAKEN:

A.  270600R MAR 01 GROUP/MSO
PERSONNEL ARRIVE ON SCENE AT UNIFIED

COMMAND POST LOCATED IN CEDAR BEACH, NY
FOR PRE-OPS MEETING WITH STATE

RESPONDERS.

B.  0630  NRC PERSONNEL BEGIN
SHORELINE ASSESSMENT AND CLEAN UP OF

KNOWN AFFECTED AREAS IN FLAX POND, PORT
JEFFERSON, AND ROCKY POINT TO

SHOREHAM DURING LOW TIDE.

C.  1130  GRU/MSO
LIS, NRC, STATE, AND USFWS CONFER ON STATUS OF

SHORELINE ASSESSMENT AND
CLEAN UP.

D.  1200  PRESS CONFERENCE ATTENDED BY FOSC HOSTED BY TOWN
OF

BROOKHAVEN SUPERVISOR, JOHN LAVALLE.

E.  1700  GRU/MSO LIS, NRC, STATE,
AND USFWS CONFER ON STATUS OF CLEAN

UP.  AREAS IN FLAX POND, PORT JEFFERSON
HARBOR, AND WEST MEADOW BEACH,

NY ARE IDENTIFIED AS AREAS OF HIGHEST
CONCENTRATION OF OIL.  PLANS ARE

MADE TO RE-CONVENE AT UNIFIED COMMAND POST
AT CEDAR BEACH AT 0600

FOLLOWING MORNING TO CONTINUE CLEAN UP.

F. THE
FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE TIMELINE OF EVENTS PRIOR TO THE

ACTUAL
DISCOVERY OF OIL ON THE NORTH SHORE OF LONG ISLAND.  THIS

INFORMATION WAS
PUT TOGETHER AS PART OF THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION AND

I FEEL THAT IT SHOULD
BE INCLUDED IN THE CASE DOCUMENTATION.

  ON TUESDAY, 20 MARCH 2001, THE T/B
RHODE ISLAND LOADED 48,000

BARRELS OF #6 OIL AT THE TOSCO BAYWAY FACILITY IN
NJ.  THE RHODE

ISLAND DEPARTED AT 0609 ENROUTE TO THE NRG MONTVILLE
FACILITY, LOCATED

ON THE THAMES RIVER.  WHILE ENROUTE, A SHEEN WAS
DISCOVERED IN THE

VICINITY OF THE TOSCO BAYWAY FACILITY AND WAS REPORTED TO
ACTIVITIES

NEW YORK.  AT APPROXIMATELY 1200 THE RHODE ISLAND CONTACTED
MORAN

TOWING TO REPORT THAT THE TANKS WERE SOUNDED AND THAT THE
SOUNDING

LEVEL IN THE #1 STARBOARD TANK HAD INCREASED BY 6 INCHES.  AT
THIS

TIME THE RHODE ISLAND WAS IN THE VICINITY OF BRIDGEPORT, CT.  BASED
ON

THIS INFORMATION, IT WAS ASSUMED THAT THE RHODE ISLAND HAD A
HOLE

SOMEWHERE BELOW THE WATERLINE IN THAT TANK.  DUE TO THIS
CONDITION,

GROUP/MSO LONG ISLAND SOUND INFORMED THE RHODE ISLAND THAT THEY
WOULD

NOT BE ALLOWED TO TRANSIT UP THE THAMES RIVER.  THE EARLIEST
THAT

MORAN COULD GET ONE OF THEIR T/BS TO THE AREA WAS THE MORNING OF
21

MARCH.  WITH NO FACILITIES ABLE TO TAKE THE RHODE ISLAND, SHE
TURNED

AROUND IN AN ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO TOSCO BAYWAY.  HOWEVER,
AT

APPROXIMATELY 1600 A COTP ORDER WAS ISSUED BY ACTIVITIES NEW
YORK,

DENYING HER ENTRY BACK INTO THEIR ZONE UNTIL A TEMPORARY REPAIR
HAD

BEEN COMPLETED.  ON 21 MARCH AT APPROXIMATELY 0300, THE T/B SEA HORSE

I
ARRIVED ON SCENE IN THE VICINITY OF NEW HAVEN AND COMMENCED

LIGHTERING
OPERATIONS WITH THE RHODE ISLAND.  LIGHTERING OPERATIONS

WERE STOPPED AT
0915 DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH THEIR HOSES.  AT 0945

MEMBERS FROM GROUP/MSO LONG
ISLAND SOUND TOOK SAMPLES OF THE OIL FROM

THE RHODE ISLAND WHICH WERE SENT
UP TO THE MARINE SAFETY LAB FOR

ANALYSIS ON 23 MARCH.  THE RHODE ISLAND
ENTERED THE PORT OF NEW HAVEN

AND MOORED AT THE WISVEST FACILITY, WHERE IT
WAS DISCOVERED THAT THERE

WAS AN EIGHT INCH BY ONE AND ONE HALF INCH HOLE IN
THE HULL OF THE

RHODE ISLAND.  THE HOLE WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET
BELOW THE

LOADED WATERLINE.  TEMPORARY REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED ON 21 MARCH
AND

THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTED AT 1100 ENROUTE TO A REPAIR FACILITY ON

STATEN
ISLAND FOR PERMANENT REPAIRS.

3. CO'S ASSESSMENT:

A.  EXPERIENCED RE-OILING
ON WEST MEADOW BEACH, FLAX POND, AND WHITE

BEACH. NOTIFICATION OF OILED
PIPING PLOVER WILL SHIFT MAJORITY OF

RESOURCES TO WEST MEADOW BEACH.
EXPECTED GOALS FOR DAY NOT MET.

FOSC, SOSC, AND RP MET TO DISCUSS PROTOCOL
FOR TRANSITION TO

MAINTENANCE PHASE AND TO CLOSURE ASAP.  RP VERY RESPONSIVE
TO DATE.

B.  MSFO TO MONITOR CLEANUP.

4.  CASE PENDS.

BT

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