Bunker Spill Reported at Staten Island's GCT New York Terminal

On Thursday afternoon, fuel oil was spotted leaking from an unnamed container ship at a terminal on Staten Island, New York. The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a response, and a containment boom has been deployed and skimming operations are under way. 

The spill was reported at Global Marine's New York Container Terminal (GCT New York) at about 1400 hours on Thursday afternoon, and U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York and the New York Police Department responded to the scene. A USCG helicopter aircrew is providing aerial surveillance for a spill assessment. 

The Coast Guard captain of the port has established a navigation safety zone between the Goethals Bridge and Shooters Island on the Arthur Kill. Vessels with plans to transit the area have been advised to check in with New York Harbor's VTS to determine how the safety zone affects their passage plan. 

The quantity of fuel oil released is not yet known, and the cause of the incident is under investigation. The Coast Guard says that a unified command will be established to coordinate cleanup efforts and reestablish normal marine triffic in the area.