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Office of Public Affairs | |
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| Press Release |
Date: December 5, 2007 |
COAST GUARD, WASHINGTON STATE RESPOND TO DAMAGED TANK AT HARBOR ISLAND FACILITY | |
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SEATTLE - The Coast Guard and the Washington State Department of Ecology are on scene at the British Petroleum (BP) facility at Harbor Island, Wash., today after an oil storage tank containing 4800 barrels (approximately 200,000 gallons) of low sulfur diesel fuel was reported to have leaked one gallon of diesel into the tank's containment system. The Coast Guard and Washington State Department of Ecology have responded to the BP Seattle Terminal facility to ensure that appropriate mitigation and response measures are undertaken to minimize the threat of environmental damage. BP has engineers en route to the facility to assess the condition of the tank and to develop a plan to remove the oil from the damaged tank. The discharge was caused by a structural problem with the tank's roof and there is a potential for further release of oil. The tank is surrounded by primary and secondary containment systems which are designed to catch the oil should it be released. The containment berms are located approximately 200 yards from the edge of the Duwamish River. While the chances of oil reaching the waterway are unlikely, BP has employed three oil spill response organizations to pre-position oil boom and equipment for contingency response. | |
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