Oil spill cleanup almost complete at Port Manatee. Its source is still unknown

Cleanup of an oil spill that contaminated more than 19,000 gallons of water at Port Manatee near the mouth of Tampa Bay is nearly complete, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard responded to the spill on Friday. In an update Wednesday, the Coast Guard estimated that 90-95% of the surface oil has been removed from the water.

Oil rings that formed around the hulls of two ships in the port continue to be cleaned, and crews have removed and disposed of 6.4 tons of oily debris, the Coast Guard said.

The source of the oil spill has not yet been identified.

A Coast Guard spokesperson said it is awaiting test results of oil samples taken from the spill that will be compared to types of oil present at the port.

In an update on Thursday, the Coast Guard said additional samples were taken from three vessels and two pipeline companies to attempt to find a match to the spill.

The responsible party could receive a notice of violation or a civil penalty, both of which can include thousands of dollars in fines.

There has not been a major oil spill in Tampa Bay since 1993, according to the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. That year, a collision of three ships at the mouth of the bay spilled over 300,000 gallons of oil.

Since that catastrophe, the estuary program, the Coast Guard, local governments and other agencies have collaborated on a response plan for any future spills.

One crucial part of that plan is making sure that enough boom is available to contain spills and protect environmentally sensitive areas, Tampa Bay Estuary Program executive director Ed Sherwood said in an email.

Several natural areas near SeaPort Manatee, including Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve and Cockroach Bay, have been deemed among the most at risk in Tampa Bay from oil spill fallout in assessments done by the state.

On Friday, the Coast Guard used about 1,400 feet of boom to contain the bulk of the spill in the port.

“This region of Tampa Bay was subject to the effects of the Piney Point emergency discharge in 2021,” Sherwood said in an email. “So, any potential environmental impacts from this oil spill event would be a concern for the surrounding seagrass flats and mangrove shorelines adjacent to the Port.”

In the Piney Point emergency, state officials authorized the release of 215 million gallons of contaminated water into Tampa Bay from a holding pond at the former phosphate processing plant.

On Thursday, the Coast Guard said that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had conducted an endangered species analysis of the impacted area and found no effects to fish or wildlife.

SeaPort Manatee says it reported spill

In their first statement regarding the spill, SeaPort Manatee officials said they reported a discoloration in the port’s water to the National Response Center on Aug. 31, a day before cleanup began.

SeaPort Manatee executive director Carlos Buqueras thanked Coast Guard members for “springing into action” and said that the port is encouraging its tenants to cooperate in the Coast Guard’s investigation.

“Like several ports in Florida, SeaPort Manatee was closed during Hurricane Idalia,” Buqueras said in a Thursday news release. “On Thursday, Aug. 31, a few days after Hurricane Idalia made landfall, SeaPort Manatee was inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard as part of its normal inspection process required before a port can reopen its shipping lanes.

“SeaPort Manatee received an ‘all clear’ from the Coast Guard, and shipping traffic resumed. The morning of Aug. 31, the port noticed a visible discoloration within the port’s basin and notified the National Response Center. The Coast Guard inspected and didn’t set any restrictions on vessel operations.

“On Sept. 1, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg returned with its response team to deploy boom and begin the clean-up process. Since Aug. 31, SeaPort Manatee’s team has been proactively collaborating with the Coast Guard to assist in response activities.

“The Coast Guard has inspected every area of the port, yet to date has been unable to identify the origin of the material. As part of the Coast Guard’s ongoing investigation, its officers have collected samples for type-testing, and we are hopeful its investigation will soon reveal the source,” the statement said.

This story was originally published September 7, 2023 at 9:20 AM.