Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaclyn Young

When most people think about a hazardous material threatening a local community, they might conjure the image of quiet, tree-lined residential neighborhood that sits, vulnerable, in the shadow of a nearby chemical facility or landfill. What they probably don’t imagine is a 680-foot ship that is capable of housing hundreds of live-in residents, under that very same threat.

Multiple times a year the National Strike Force trains for the very real possibility of a shipboard hazardous materials release. In February, the NSF’s Gulf Strike Team led a multi-agency training exercise with FBI SWAT and the Alabama National Guard’s 46th Civil Support Team.

(From left) Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Pat O'Hare and Petty Officer 3rd Class David Young, both with the Gulf Strike Team, prepare to perform decontamination procedures on an FBI SWAT member with artificial wounds during a joint agency exercise in Mobile, Ala., Feb. 16, 2012. The exercise allowed the GST to work with the FBI and the Alabama National Guard's 46th Civil Support Team to identify and react to an unknown hazardous chemical aboard the aboard the 680-foot USS Alabama. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. j.g. Crystal Barnett.

Nearly 20 members from the GST participated in the drill that was designed to lead them and the other agencies through the simulated release of an unknown hazardous chemical aboard the USS Alabama at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Ala.

The complexities of responding to a chemical release on a ship are unique because of the ship’s restrictive passageways, hidden voids, and numerous tiny man-holes separating one compartment from the next. This type of layout makes an emergency response not only challenging but extremely dangerous for responders without the proper training.

“The USS Alabama is a good training platform because it is a vessel with smaller compartments, which are realistic challenges during an actual shipboard mishap,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Austin Hunt of the GST. “The smaller compartments could cause our protective suits to rip or tear while clearing a space.”

Training in an actual environment with shipboard dangers helps prepare responders for the safest ways to navigate aboard a vessel with all of their extra gear. Not only are responders wearing a top layer of protective clothing, but they may have supplied air canisters strapped onto their backs. All of this protective clothing, plus heat issues, can add a lot of additional strain on the member.

However, bulky protective clothing wasn’t the only challenge built in to the training exercise. The GST also paired up with the other agencies to compare response tactics and standard operating procedures. The training, which included an entry and hostage extraction by FBI SWAT, incorporated both GST and Civil Support Team members into entry groups to conduct sampling and air monitoring. This cross-agency training provided an opportunity to compare methodology and equipment used by both teams.

(Left) Alabama National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Drew Boatright, of the 46th Civil Support Team, Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Young and Petty Officer 2nd Class Noel Lindsay, both with the Gulf Strike Team, prepare to embark the USS Alabama for an initial entry during a joint agency hazardous material exercise in Mobile, Ala., Feb. 16, 2012. The exercise allowed the GST to work with the FBI and the Alabama National Guard's 46th CST to identify and react to an unknown hazardous chemical aboard the aboard the vessel. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. j.g. Crystal Barnett.

“The potential of a response like this would involve multiple agencies, and they all operate under different SOPs,” said Hunt. “Getting to know those procedures makes a response flow more effectively, and this was an excellent opportunity for that.”

Furthermore, Hunt said holding the exercise on the water was important because of the unique maritime spill response and incident management expertise the GST members possess.

“The GST has response officers and supervisors trained to the level of a hazardous material incident commander, and all members are trained in the special equipment the GST brings for a response of this nature,” Hunt said.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Patterson, who recently reported to the GST, said that not only was the training helpful, but it was rewarding to see that the other agencies operated under very similar procedures while working together to navigate through the ship and find the source of the chemical release.

“It was a very likely scenario, and everybody was on the same page,” said Patterson. “Anything can happen and we need to be able to respond to shipboard threats together.”

Story and photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Johnson  
Pacific Strike Team  

RICHMOND, Calif. — The Pacific Strike Team assisted Sector San Francisco in the Bay Area’s Kaiser Shipyard after the decommissioned 205-foot Navy tug Tiger sank while moored, Dec. 11, 2011.

The ex-Navy tug Tiger sits submerged and leaking oil Dec. 11, 2011 at the Kaiser Shipyard. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Johnson.

The Pacific Strike Team performed site safety, air monitoring, cost documentation and contractor monitoring for Sector San Francisco during the salvage and recovery of the tug. The strike team also provided a mobile command post.

“Making the incident location absolutely safe was first priority,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Karl Siegmund. “The proper cleanup of hazardous materials, installation of handrails, and removal of loose pier components allowed for a safe and effective recovery operation to take place.”

The Pacific Strike Team uses a drum skimmer to collect a continuous trickle of oil at the Kaiser Shipyard after the ex-Navy tug Tiger sank on Dec. 11, 2011. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Johnson.

Teams built cofferdams and created hoisting points in preparation for de-watering during the three-month recovery effort. Containment and recovery of fuel and oils was an ongoing issue due to tides in the area, Siegmund said. Additionally, the age of the tug and the potential for additional unknown hazards on the vessel made air monitoring an important part of safety.

Crews transferred the tug’s remaining fuel and lubricating oil into portable storage tanks after the tug was refloated, and the tanks were then taken to a processing facility for proper disposal.

The Tiger’s history dates back almost 70 years, and includes four battle stars for service in World War II and five battle stars for service in the Korean conflict. The Kaiser Shipyard was home to one of the largest ship production facilities during World War II, and today it hosts multiple historic landmarks, parks and companies throughout the waterfront.

“Having a salvage operation in a sensitive area like San Francisco was challenging,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam Anderson. “Many steps were taken to ensure hazards were contained and kept away from environmentally sensitive areas, while information to the public was timely and accurate.”

By Chief Petty Officer Christopher Zahn

A group of students, including National Strike Force members, attend a Texas A&M Oil Spill Control Course and prepare to deploy boom from a shoreline staging area, Jan. 25, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photo by the Atlantic Strike Team.

GALVESTON, Texas — Members from the National Strike Force’s Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf strike teams worked alongside other response and industry personnel to learn about spill response at the Oil Spill Control Course in Galveston Jan. 23-27, 2012.

The course was hosted by Texas A&M’s Engineering Extension Service and covered topics including oil movement, containment and cleanup, boom and skimmer design, shoreline protection, and cleanup and restoration.

“The course had great hands-on training,” said Petty Officer 1st Class James Moore, a member of the Atlantic Strike Team, based out of Ft. Dix, N.J. “I learned a lot about deploying boom in different wind conditions and how to adjust the anchoring systems. It was good to work with members with the various backgrounds.”

The class was comprised of students from the Coast Guard, regulatory agencies and U.S. and Canadian industry partners. The instruction went beyond theory. Each day, students went out to the field to practice the tactics they had learned, getting a mix of classroom and practical instruction that culminated in a final exercise at the end of the week.

A group of students, including National Strike Force members, attend a Texas A&M Oil Spill Control Course and prepare to deploy an oil skimmer that looks like a manta ray and floats on the surface as it collects oil, Jan. 23, 2012.  U.S. Coast Guard photo by the Atlantic Strike Team.

For their final exercise, the teams were given a scenario and had to apply what they learned regarding the movement of oil, and containment and cleanup techniques, to organize and execute a response to a simulated oil spill.

“The techniques I learned during theses exercises will be valuable in responses to oil spills where swift and effective deployment of response equipment is vital,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeffrey Nagel, a member of the Atlantic Strike Team.

Story by Cmdr. Richard Schultz and Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Foster

Atlantic Strike Team

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — Imagine a 200,000 gallon spill of heavy fuel oil just 25 miles outside the Chesapeake Bay with weather conditions moving the oil toward tourist’s beaches and protected habitats along the Eastern Shore and Delmarva Peninsula within the next 30 hours.

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. - Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Foster, a member of the Atlantic Strike Team based out of Ft. Dix, N.J., explains how the Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System is deployed and operated during a large oil spill, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, at the Eastern Shore Dispersant Workshop. The National Strike Force's teams are the Coast Guard's leading experts on oil spill and hazardous materials response. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Wyatt Ingram.

This, and many other computerized scenarios, played out by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during the Eastern Shore Dispersant Workshop, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, hosted by Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads. The session was aimed at educating area stakeholders and community partners about the use of dispersants to combat oil spills.

Members from the National Strike Force’s Atlantic Strike Team had the opportunity to attend and present information at this unique public outreach forum workshop held at the Marine Science Consortium in Wallops Island. The goal of the workshop was to facilitate knowledge-based communications with over 100 local stakeholders about dispersant use for oil spill response in a sensitive, coastal environment.

Cmdr. Richard Schultz, the commanding officer of the Atlantic Strike Team, Lt. j.g. Adam Mosley, the chemical division officer and Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Foster, the response supervisor, provided subject matter expertise on dispersant use monitoring and mechanical oil recovery.

All of the various government agencies and oil spill removal organizations presented nine topics that also included; An Introduction to Dispersants, Dispersant Use Approval, Oil and Dispersant Impacts, Safety and Health, and Fisheries and Seafood Safety.

“This was a great opportunity to showcase not just the NSF’s capabilities, but the Coast Guard’s capabilities and responsibilities during an oil spill.” said Foster. “It’s good to have this equipment readily available, not just for response, but also for people to get a feel for just how these items work and the logistics involved.”

Dispersant use monitoring is a unique responsibility that the Coast Guard strike teams have when dispersants are applied to an oil spill that incorporates the deployment of equipment and personnel to implement the Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technology program.

The three-tiered SMART program employs strategies to help determine whether or not dispersants are working as prescribed. These strategies include aerial observation and collection of various water data before and after the application of dispersants and at various water depths from the surface to ten meters. All collected information is provided by the strike team to the assigned NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator who determines the effectiveness of the applied dispersants.

"The presentations and discussion stations provided a complete view of oil spill response with a focus on understanding dispersants; this commonsense approach helped everyone make better sense of an oil spill mitigation tool and process that had not previously been too clear," said Mosley.

Many participants, including the workshop coordinators, believe that this is the first dispersant workshop of its kind to ever be held. Participants, attendees, and presenters left with a better understanding of preparing for and responding with each other to future oil spills.

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. - Lt. j.g. Adam Mosley a member of the Atlantic Strike Team based out of Ft. Dix, N.J., explains the operation of the Turner C-3 fluorometer and the monitoring tactics of the SMART program to Brian Sturgis, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, at the Eastern Shore Dispersant Workshop. The National Strike Force's teams are the Coast Guard's leading experts on oil spill and hazardous materials response. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Cmdr. Richard Schultz.

Story by Chief Warrant Officer Shane Barrington,
Pacific Strike Team

NOVATO, Calif. — Everyone knows that practice makes perfect, and it’s especially important for emergency responders to hone their skills in order to protect the public and the environment.

The Coast Guard’s Novato-based National Strike Force Pacific Strike Team conducted emergency response drills at the Del Valle Regional Training Facility, Santa Clarita, Calif., Feb. 29 – March 2.

The facility, which is maintained by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, is a multi-venue training center that can simulate railcar, vehicle and aircraft crashes. It also has multiple buildings that can simulate weapons of mass destruction attacks, hazardous materials spills and radiological contamination.

PST members annually train at the Del Valle facility.

“Textbook instruction is important, but hands-on training is crucial to understanding what we’ll face during a response,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Benedict Lizama, a PST break-in response technician.  “This takes what we learned, and lets us respond to a realistic scenario in a safe environment.”

During the three-day training event, PST members faced several different emergencies.

In the first scenario, a truck overturned and spilled its cargo into a nearby waterway. The four-person entry team set up air monitoring equipment, evaluated the truck’s stability and secured the leaks. After the truck was secured, a team constructed an underflow dam to keep any contamination from spreading downstream.

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — Petty Officer 1st Class Travis Olsen and Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Johnson of the Pacific Strike Team build an underflow dam while conducting an emergency response drill at the Del Valle Regional Training Facility in Santa Clarita, Calif., Feb. 2, 2012. Teams with the National Strike Force annually conduct exercises to safely train new members in the challenging conditions often encountered at actual responses. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer Shane Barrington.

Next, PST personnel battled a chlorine gas release. The entry team donned Level “A” personal protective equipment, the highest level of protection against hazardous environments, that consists of a fully encapsulating suit that allows for a self-contained breathing apparatus to be worn inside the suit. The team then isolated four, one-ton chlorine cylinders attached to a mock hotel’s pool system. They determined which one was leaking and secured the cylinder.

Lt. j.g. Amanda Le Monde transferred to the PST in 2011, and the training at the Del Valle facility is part of her response officer qualification.

“It was a good opportunity to see the roles of the response supervisor and response officer, and how they have to interact during a case,” said Le Monde.

No one ever wishes for a disaster to occur, but the training the PST receives at the Del Valle facility provides team members a hands-on opportunity to learn and practice techniques that could potentially save the lives of the public, their team mates and protect the environment.

FORT DIX, N.J. - In a ceremony January 27, 2012 the Atlantic Strike Team honored the hard work and dedication of a select few Coast Guard Auxiliarists.

The recent ceremony honored the rich history of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, its members' 73 years of service to America and the 10 years of service the Auxiliary members have provided to the Atlantic Strike Team.

Since August 2001 Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers have given more than 24,000 hours of time to the National Strike Force's Atlantic Strike Team. More than 15 Auxiliarists have dedicated themselves to supporting the AST as an essential part of the team. They have managed the unit's daily routine, tracked personnel and resources, greeted visitors, served as security and stood more than 2,500 eight-hour watches.

"They are critical to the success of the unit's mission," said Cmdr. Richard Schultz, the AST's commanding officer. "They provide life lessons and mentorship that benefit the entire crew."

FORT DIX, N.J. - The Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team honored their Auxiliary Watchstanders in a ceremony for service spanning over 10 years January 20, 2012. This dedicated team stood more than 2,500 eight-hour watches and volunteered more than 24,000 hours. Pictured here are: Coast Guard Auxiliarists Lawrence Volz, Ellen Voorhees, Dorothy Smith, Frederick Kretsch, Carol Giroud and Dolores Verbanaz, in the back row: Active Duty Coast Guard members: Lt. Cmdr. David Reinhard, Cmdr. Richard Schultz and Lt. Benjamin Tuxhorn. U.S. Coast Guard photo by the Atlantic Strike Team.

The Auxiliary watchstander program started in 2001 when three Auxiliarists volunteered to assist in the AST's incident response center. The volunteers have been instrumental in several high profile National Strike Force pollution and natural disaster responses including three major oil spills, a mustard gas release, and four major hurricanes. For every incident, the Auxiliary watchstanders facilitated the rapid deployment of personnel and assisted with tracking all deployed resources.

"Their efforts have greatly contributed to our success at each response," Schultz said.

The Auxiliary watchstanders took over all watch functions shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Their surge of volunteers freed active duty strike team members to deploy critical unit resources to lower Manhattan as part of the recovery and clean up efforts.

The Auxiliary watchstanders assumed the watch again in October 2001 and April 2004 when the U. S. Capitol was hit by the anthrax and ricin biological terrorist attacks. The Auxiliary watchstanders managed the deployment and tracking of strike team resources for each incident.

"Every time the AST has needed to surge resources for a critical event, the Auxiliary watchstanders have been there," Schultz said.

The April 2010 blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil well and subsequent Spill of National Significance was no exception. As the entire Coast Guard mobilized to support the response, the Auxiliary watchstanders stood up and integrated with the AST. Schultz said the watchstanders' phenomenal communication, coordination, resources tracking, and documentation skills allowed the AST to bring their full force of responders and oil spill cleanup gear to bear.

"I am proud to be part of the Atlantic Strike Team and the Auxiliary Watchstander program," said Ellen Voorhees, one of the original members and the Auxiliary Unit Liaison at the AST. "I'm extremely proud of the whole team."

Schultz said the Auxiliary makes contributions on a daily basis, which increases the capabilities of the Atlantic Strike Team and the National Strike Force.

"They are truly part of our team," said Schultz.

The Atlantic Strike Team assisted the Environmental Protection Agency Region Five On-Scene Coordinator during a hazardous materials emergency removal action in November and December 2011 at a former chemical production facility in Detroit, Mich.

DETROIT - Petty Officer 1st Class Seth Hartmann, a machinery technician at the Atlantic Strike Team, conducts a flammability test on an unknown sample in an Environmental Protection Agency hazardous materials categorization trailer, November 29, 2011. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Edward Primeau

Responders found more than 500 drums, tanks, compressed gas cylinders, and other miscellaneous containers strewn throughout the abandoned site.  A large number of the containers were unlabeled and unsecured, and marked with warnings ranging from ‘toxic’ to ‘poison.’

“There were puddles and pools of liquid waste on the floor around many of the containers, and it was critical that the area be cleaned properly,” said Ed Primeau, Atlantic Strike Team’s Industrial Hygienist. “This site is located next to a residential area and posed a significant threat to the local population.”

The National Strike Force and the EPA have an extensive history of working together to reduce or eliminate the dangers posed to both humans and the environment at hazardous materials sites. The relationship stems from the National Contingency Plan, which dictates that NSF pollution response resources are available to both Coast Guard and EPA Federal On-Scene Coordinators.

“The longstanding relationships, response support history, and seamless interoperability that all three Coast Guard strike teams have with their regional EPA On-Scene Coordinators is vital to safe mission completion during any pollution incident large or small," said Cmdr. Richard Schultz, the commanding officer of the Atlantic Strike Team.

Over a four-week period, under the direction of an environmental chemist, Atlantic Strike Team members reviewed Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all chemicals found on site, reviewed the transportation and disposal documentation for all chemicals departing the site, and conducted field tests to determine the hazardous characteristics of samples.  This allowed the cleanup contractor to safely bulk compatible waste, thus reducing the amount of waste streams needed for disposal.

In addition to conducting hazard categorization, the Atlantic Strike Team brought an instrument new to its inventory to conduct chemical sample analysis.  The instrument uses Raman spectroscopy to initiate molecular vibrations, or Raman scattering, which are then used by the instrument to identify the solid or liquid chemical. 

DETROIT - Edward Primeau, an industrial hygienist at the Atlantic Strike Team, uses a chemical analyzer to determine the identity of an unknown sample, December 1, 2011. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Seth Hartmann

“The new equipment allowed us to identify numerous unknowns in less than half the time it takes to perform the hazardous categorization process on a sample,” said Petty Officer 1^st Class Seth Hartmann, a machinery technician with the Atlantic Strike Team.

Atlantic Strike Team members performed field laboratory tests to categorize a total of 329 samples, and verified the contents of 149 containers.  When the instrument identified a chemical that did not have the appropriate hazard characteristic based on that result, Atlantic Strike Team members contacted the manufacturer for support.  The members emailed the chemical spectrum to a scientist who analyzed the result and reported their findings. 

“The hazard categorization and test results allowed the removal and disposal contractors to handle hazardous materials in a safe manner that protected responders and the local population during site cleanup operations,” said Primeau.

NARRAGANSETT BAY, R.I.“- The crane barge Chesapeake 1000 lifts the barge SEI-34 off the bottom of Narragansett Bay Nov. 7, 2011. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Broko Boland.

The Atlantic Strike Team, based in Fort Dix, N.J., deployed to Rhode Island on Nov. 7, 2011, after a 350-ton barge loaded with 2,000 gallons of fuel, heavy machinery, and other potentially hazardous materials sank to the bottom of the Narragansett Bay, threatening the marine environment and wildlife in the area. The barge, which was in place for workers to paint the Newport/Pell Island Bridge, landed upside down in about 100 feet of water.

Coast Guard Sector Southeast New England's Federal On-Scene Coordinator's Representative requested assistance from the Atlantic Strike Team due to complex salvage and dive operations.

Because of safety concerns and the barge's position on the ocean floor, the contractors wanted to use a 1,000 ton crane barge to lift the barge using two slings, and move it to a shallower location. Then, they planned to conduct a fuel transfer while the damaged barge was still suspended in the lifting slings. 

"Our members have received specialized training and have valuable salvage experience," said Cmdr. Richard Schultz, Commanding Officer of the Atlantic Strike Team. "Our sole mission is to support the Federal On-Scene Coordinator and ensure safe response operations."

Once the Unified Command finalized and accepted the plans, contractors immediately began bringing in the specialized equipment to remove the fuel and salvage the barge. Once the operation got underway, Atlantic Strike Team members served as on scene Safety Officers and supervised the dangerous over-the-water transfer of the 2,000 gallons of fuel at night.

Additionally, AST members provided continual input on booming strategies during the lift.

"We closely monitored building seas, gusting winds, torrential rains and near freezing temperatures and did everything we could to make sure this operation went safely and smoothly," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Fontaine, a Response Technician with the Atlantic Strike Team.

With pollution concerns alleviated and the sunken barge raised and loaded onto the transport barge, the Atlantic Strike Team’s mission was complete on Dec. 10th. Contractors remained to recover a small generator, a silo, and some other small debris that had fallen from the barge when it sank. Additionally, Sector Southeast New England is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

“The safety of the divers and the protection of the environment were the two most important factors in this response” said Fontaine. “Seamless interoperability between all the agencies involved allowed us to complete this challenging mission safely.”

ROV Control Room MORRO BAY, Calif. - Global Diving & Salvage remotely operated vehicle technicans navigate the ROV around the sunken World War II tanker S.S. Montebello, Oct. 12, 2011. The ROV completed the initial visual inspection of the Montebello and found no possible hazards that could impede the mission going further. Photo by Robert Schwemmer, NOAA.

Members of the Pacific Strike Team recently played key roles in the assessment, survey, and sampling evolutions that took place on the S.S. Montebello from Oct. 11- 21, 2011. 

The S.S. Montebello was struck by the torpedo of a Japanese submarine and sank off of Cambria, Calif., Dec. 23, 1941, while en route to British Columbia to deliver a two million gallon cargo of crude oil. The crew survived, but the vessel’s cargo and one million gallons of fuel was thought to have remained on board as it sank to a depth of approximately 900 feet.

Although a scientific survey conducted in 1996 revealed that the wreck was mostly intact, particularly in the areas containing the cargo tanks, concern grew over the potential for the vessel to release any remaining cargo and fuel.  Unfortunately, the technology present at the time made any sort of identification and recovery operations unlikely. 

Monitoring of the vessel continued until 2011, when Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach and the California Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Spill Prevention partnered to conduct a survey of the vessel’s hull and take samples from the cargo tanks using newly developed techniques in oil identification and sample collection.  The goal of the operation was to determine if oil was still present on the vessel and, if so, how likely it was that the oil would be released due to hull degradation.

Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach requested PST assistance with executing several critical aspects of the Montebello survey.  To establish an Incident Command Post, PST members aided in the mobilization and deployment of Coast Guard Communications Area Master Station Pacific’s eMobile Incident Command Post, providing invaluable infrastructure and resources to over 20 state and federal responders throughout the course of the survey. 

PST personnel also supplemented the sector’s workforce with pollution response knowledge and expertise, contributing to the successful oversight and implementation of the survey.  PST Response Officers, Response Supervisors, and Response Members provided technical assistance in selecting, executing, and monitoring the contracted salvage company workers as they employed state-of-the-art technology to survey and retrieve samples from the vessel. 

Additionally, PST members worked side by side with the National Pollution Funds Center to manage $3.5 million of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund allotted for the survey, ensuring meticulous cost documentation and stewardship of the Fund.

The combined efforts of the federal and state officials led to a successful vessel survey and retrieval of samples from the cargo tanks.  No oil was found in the vessel’s cargo tanks or the surrounding sediment.  The survey was a resounding success in that it validated new oil-identification technology and eliminated the possibility of current or future pollution threats from Montebello, much to the joy of the State of California and countless coastal communities.