VIRGINIA BEACH — Nine sailors —including senior officers — will face disciplinary actions following an investigation into the May 11 jet fuel spill at Naval Air Station Oceana.
Navy officials announced Friday morning that the investigation into the incident began the day the spill was discovered and concluded sometime last week.
While initial findings discovered that a fuel lever was in an incorrect position during a refueling operation, according to officials, the latest development suggested that there were several instances where sailors “failed to perform their appointed duties.”
“The investigation found multiple instances of human error, dereliction of duty and local oversight failure as causing the chain of events that led to the spill,” said Read Admiral Jack Scorby, Commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.
Possible disciplinary actions, Scorby said, could be the imposition of non-judicial punishment — a hearing in front of a commander — which could result in a reduction in rank, restriction, and forfeiture of pay.
The nine sailors could also be referred to trial by court-martial, removal or reassignment. Administrative actions are also being considered for one civilian employee, Scorby added.
The Navy has not yet released the names of the nine individuals due to the ongoing legal process and individual privacy rights.
Disciplinary actions have already been completed for seven of the nine military personnel.
According to the Navy, when the incident initially happened last month, the fuel lever was left open 2 p.m. on May 10th and wasn’t discovered until about 6:25 a.m. the following day, resulting in 94,000 gallons of JP-5 jet fuel leaking.
Clean-up efforts lasted for more than two weeks as the Navy and other agencies worked to recover and clear as much of the fuel as possible from the base and neighboring areas
It was later reported that 25,000 gallons of the fuel seeped into local waterways and traveled as far as Wolfsnare Creek, which is near residential areas causing many people to smell fuel odors throughout the clean-up process.
“This was a terrible situation and inconvenience for the nearby neighborhoods,” Scorby said. “Through this all, we have kept the families affected by the spill our top priority.”
Residents who voiced concerns for their health due to the fumes were offered an option to temporarily relocate to local hotels at the expense of the Navy while cleaning crews cleared the remaining oil.
According to the officials, of the 200 households affected, 48 families voluntarily relocated. The majority of the families have since returned to their homes except for one.
The estimated cost for the fuel clean-up and the temporary lodging for residents was around $3.8 million, which also accounted for the value of the fuel that was lost.
The Navy has since implemented several measures, according to Scorby, to make sure that incidents like this won’t occur again like doubling of personnel on watch as well as re-evaluating processes and procedures that will be utilized at the naval base.
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