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NOAA’s Roles During the T/V BOW-MARINER Response

NOAA’s Roles During the T/V BOW-MARINER Response. Frank Csulak, SSC NOAA/ORR/ERD RRTIII Meeting January 12-14, 2010. Background.

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NOAA’s Roles During the T/V BOW-MARINER Response

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  1. NOAA’s Roles During the T/V BOW-MARINER Response Frank Csulak, SSC NOAA/ORR/ERD RRTIII Meeting January 12-14, 2010

  2. Background • At 6:00 pm on Saturday, February 28, 2004 the T/V BOW-MARINER, a 570 foot tanker was southbound off the coast of Virginia when it caught fire, exploded and sank. The Singapore-flagged vessel was transiting from New York to Houston with 24 Pilipino and 3 Greek crewmembers. The tanker was carrying 3.5 million gallons of ethanol, 48,000 gallons of stored diesel fuel and 193,000 gallons of fuel oil. The vessel was roughly 50 miles east of Assateague, Virginia in about 240 feet of water when it sank. Water temperature was around 44 degrees at the time. Ship sank in 1.5 hours • NOAA HAZMAT received notification from USCG at 8:30 pm and opens up NOAA ResponseLink (Hotline)

  3. T/V BOW-MARINER

  4. USCG Response • Six survivors and 3 bodies were initially recovered from the water. The Coast Guard suspended the search for the 18 missing crewmembers from the T/V BOW-MARINER at 1 p.m. on March 1, 2004. The search had involved more than 80 Coast Guardsmen, including crews from Station Chincoteague, Va., Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., and Elizabeth City, N.C., the 87-foot patrol boats Shearwater and Albacore from Hampton Roads, Va., and six command centers. Crews conducted 30 separate search patterns expending more than 3,500 man hours and covering an area of approximately 70 square miles.

  5. NOAA Issues • Vessel resting on actively fished sea scallop bed. • NMFS closes surrounding area to fishing to support response operations and concern about scallops being tainted/injured. • Oil assessment and recovery. • NOAA HAZMAT investigating the toxicity of ethanol on sea scallops. • Mooring entanglement risk to marine mammals. • USCG FOSC requested “worst case weather” information; the weather conditions under which oil would make landfall.

  6. NOAA HAZMAT Response • Two NOAA SSCs and staff from Seattle, WA arrive on-scene providing scientific support on March 01. • On March 01, NOAA conducts initial aerial over flights using USCG C-130 aircraft. • SSC requests NOAA Hydrographic Survey for support. R/V RUDE dispatched from Norfolk, VA. to conduct side-scan and multi-beam sonar surveys.

  7. NOAA Products • Aerial over flight support • Weather reports • Oil mapping • Trajectory models • Oil fate and effects for diesel fuel, #6 oil, and ethanol. • Prepared Resources at Risk document

  8. NOAA Overflight Photos

  9. T/V BOW-MARINER, OFFSHORE VIRGINIA 1120 EST, Sunday February 29, 2004 Sunset (02/29): 1750 Sunrise (03/01):0628 Sunset (03/01): 1751 Current Observation (Buoy 44009): west winds at 10 knots 36 Hour Forecast: Winds: Today, the winds are expected to be from the W-SW at 10-15 knots. Tonight, west winds at 10-15 knots are predicted. Monday, SW winds at 10-15 knots are predicted to shift and be from the S-SW at 15-20 knots by the afternoon hours Waves: Today, the seas are expected to be 3-4 feet. Tonight through Monday, 2-3 foot seas are predicted. Precipitation: Today through Monday, no precipitation is forecast. Monday night, possible scattered showers are expected. Ceiling/Visibility: Today through Monday, mostly clear to partly cloudy skies are predicted. Visibility is forecast to be unrestricted except during times of showers. Temperatures: Temperatures are forecast to range from highs in the 40's to lows in the 30's. Extended Forecast: Tuesday, the winds are expected to be from the S-SW at 15-20 knots increasing to 20-25 knots by the afternoon hours. Seas 3-4 feet increasing to 5-6 feet by the afternoon hours. Mostly cloudy skies. Scattered showers. Wednesday, W-NW winds at 15-25 knots are predicted to decrease to less than 10 knots by the afternoon hours. Seas 5-7 feet decreasing to 2-3 feet by the afternoon hours. Mostly clear skies. Dry. Thursday, SE winds at 10-15 knots are forecast to shift and be from the south at 20-25 knots by the afternoon hours. Seas 1-2 feet increasing to 5-6 feet by the afternoon hours. Mostly clear skies. Dry.

  10. NOAA Hydrographic Survey was asked to dispatch the R/V Rude based out of Norfolk in order to conduct side-scan and multi-beam sonar surveys of the T/V Bow-Mariner to assist in assessing the condition of the vessel and aid in possible salvage efforts. Rudy arrived on-site on March 2. Weather, sea conditions, and presence of oil in the water presented less than optimal conditions. Rude was able to generate low resolution image of the Bow-Mariner. The vessel was largely intact (in one-piece, damage was difficult to determine) and that vessel was resting keel down.

  11. Sonar Image

  12. Sonar Image

  13. Oil Recovery • MSRC’s Virginia Responder on-scene. • Focus was on skimming in areas where thick oil was observed. Estimated that 25,000 gallons of oil/water mix (1800 gallons of dewatered oil) recovered. • Corexit 9527 tested for potential use but results negative and further use was not considered. Problems included cold water, weathered oil.

  14. MSRC’s Virginia Responder

  15. Virginia Responder

  16. Salvage Operations • On March 24, The RP’s salvage vessel, Mystic Viking, deploys ROV. Findings are: • The multi-beam images created by the NOAA ship Rude very accurately captured the condition of the Bow Mariner. • All tanks were breached and all product was lost. • No human remains found. • Decision made to not salvage vessel.

  17. Overview of NOAA’s Response Incident occurred February 28th and response actions ended March 25, 2004. NOAA On-Scene Staffing – 2 SSC’s and 1 specialist from Seattle Provided over flights, weather, chemistry, fate & effects, trajectory modeling, side-scan and multi-beam sonar. No NRDA – lack of resources and measurable impacts

  18. USCG Final Report on Cause of Incident Twenty-one men died 50 miles off the coast of Virginia in February 2004 when the M/V BOW MARINER exploded shortly after discharging a cargo of volatile petroleum product called MTBE--Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether. The explosions caused catastrophic structural damage and led to immediate flooding of nearly the entire cargo area. Within minutes after the explosion, the vessel began to sink. The ship sank in about an hour an a half. Only six men, including the Captain and Chief Engineer, who abandoned ship survived. In its final report, the Coast Guard placed blame on the decision of the Captain to open 22 cargo tanks for tank cleaning. The Coast Guard says that the gas freeing operation caused flammable gases to accumulate on deck, leading to an explosion. It was quickly followed by two more explosions which racked the ship's structure. Contributory causes included failure to implement proper safety management techniques, hasty abandonment by senior officers, and lack of training.

  19. Thank you, any questions?

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