Product Tanker Spills Bunker Fuel at Port of Rotterdam

On Saturday afternoon, the Odfjell tanker Bow Jubail struck a jetty at the Port of Rotterdam, rupturing her hull and releasing an estimated 220 tons of bunker fuel into the water. No injuries were reported, and she berthed without further incident. 

In a statement released on the Dutch-language portion of its site, the Port of Rotterdam said that booms had been deployed successfully to contain much of the spill, but some amount had already spread before they were in place. On Sunday, oil was seen on the water from Hoek van Holland to the Spijkenisse bridges and the Beneluxtunnel, with the largest concentration in the Third Petroleum Harbor. Commercial terminals remain open wherever possible, the port said. 

Response team deploys containment boom, June 23 (social media)

Odfjell and its insurer, GARD, are working with Dutch authorities to formulate a response and investigate the cause of the accident. The leak has been stopped, and Odfjell said that there is no further risk of additional pollution. 

The port expects that the clean-up work will take days, if not weeks, and possibly longer. An action plan has been drawn up for the removal of oil by a spill respons contractor under the supervision of the Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) and the Port of Rotterdam. The first two priorities for the response are oil removal in the Third Petroleum Harbor and the treatment of oiled wildlife. Once the harbor has been cleaned, the ships within it will also be scrubbed to remove oil from their hulls. 

The Third Petroleum Harbor, Wiltonhaven and the marinas at Vlaardingen and Schiedam have been closed indefinitely, and the closure will last at least through Sunday.