U.S. Navy officials said they are investigating what caused the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) to spill nearly 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the York River.
Ted Brown, from the Public Affairs Office/ Installations and Environmental Public Affairs Officer for U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said the spill happened at around 7 a.m. last Thursday (May 7) while the ship was pierside at the Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown.
“Containment booms were in place at the time of the incident, Brown wrote in an email. “The majority of the spill was contained within the pre-positioned boom and under the pier. Recovery and cleanup efforts began immediately.”
Several agencies responded to the incident, including the Navy Oil Spill Recovery Unit, Coast Guard, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Fish and Wildlife, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“The fuel was recovered using a fuel vacuum truck and fuel absorbing materials by Thursday afternoon,” Brown said. “The remaining sheen was unrecoverable and dissipated with minimal impact to the shoreline.”
