SEAWITCH Federal Project History, Current Status

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SEAWITCH Federal ProjectHistory, Current Status
Way Ahead
LT Joshua BlockerUSCG Sector Baltimore 20
November 2008
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Topics

• SEAWITCH Case History
• Current SEAWITCH Case Status
• Way Ahead
• Unified Command Elements
• Contact Information

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SEAWITCH Case History (1968)

• Hull No. 354, later christened SS C.V. SEAWITCH,
  built at Bath Iron Works, Maine in 1968
• Lead vessel in 8-ship Seawitch Class container
  ship

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SEAWITCH Case History (1973)

• Involved in major marine casualty (collision with
  SS ESSO BRUSSELS) in NY Harbor, 2 June 1973
• 14 killed (3 SEAWITCH, 11 ESSO BRUSSELS)
• Ensuing fire damaged Verrazano Narrows Bridge as
  well as both vessels

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SEAWITCH Case History (1973)
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SEAWITCH Case History (1973 1975)
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SEAWITCH Case History (1974 1987)

• Relatively little historical data on SEAWITCH
  from 1974 through 1987
• 1987 remnants of SEAWITCH hull (forward 455)
  integral component of local salvage company,
  aptly named Seawitch Salvage, located at Kurt
  Iron Metal (KIM) facility in Baltimore, MD

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SEAWITCH Case History (1993 1995)

• In 1993, Seawitch Salvage awarded contract to
  begin ship-breaking of USS CORAL SEA. Project ran
  through 1995

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SEAWITCH Case History (1993 1995)
U.S.S. CORAL SEA ship-breaking project (circa
1993)
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SEAWITCH Case History (1998 2000)

• Kerry Ellis, owner of Seawitch Salvage, indicted
  for possible environmental crimes committed
  during CORAL SEA ship-breaking (illegally
  disposing of asbestos and waste oil)
• Kerry Ellis imprisoned following conviction on
  Clear Air Act and Clean Water Act violations in
  1998 Dies in prison in 2000
• In 2000, Maryland Port Administration (MPA)
  acquires former Kurt Iron Metal property
• SEAWITCH did not convey in MPAs property
  acquisition. Later, NPFC conducted title and deed
  search reaffirming SEAWITCH hull was abandoned
  therefore lacked an identifiable Responsible
  Party (RP)

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SEAWITCH Case History (2003)

• In August 2003, National Response Center received
  report of sunken vessel leaking oil
  approximately 20,000 gallons on board
  (estimated). MPA was the reporting party MPA
  last on site 15 April and vessel was still afloat
• USCG Activities Baltimore accessed Oil Spill
  Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF) and hired clean-up
  contractors
• Federal Project No. P03018
• OSLTF spent 550,000
• Operations ceased 25 November 2003 - Risk-based
  decision matrix combined with lack of visible
  oily product

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Current SEAWITCH Case Status (2007 2008)
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Current SEAWITCH Case Status (2007 2008)

• September 2007 During MPA-supervised site
  remediation, USCG Sector Baltimore receives
  Notice of Transfer from AA Environmental for
  transfer of oily waste from SEAWITCH to vac truck
  for transport to disposal site
• 4 years have passed since FPN 03018, new crews
  have changed out so a CG field response team is
  dispatched for follow-up
• Case turned over to Sector Baltimore Incident
  Management Division for long-term
  monitoring/management
• MPA had contract in place to remediate site and
  remove derelict vessels and therefore retained
  operational lead
• Unified Command established October 2007

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Current SEAWITCH Case Status (2007 2008)

• January 2008 Unified Command suspended
  operations due to cold weather conditions and the
  fact that any oil present will not rise to
  surface due to near-freezing water temps
• June 2008 Unified Command re-convenes. Oil
  begins to re-appear
• July 2008 With funding under MPA existing
  contract exhausted, FOSC/Unified Command agrees
  to Federalize the SEAWITCH project (FPN 08018)
• Coast Guard and Maryland Department of the
  Environment (MDE) assume operational lead

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Current SEAWITCH Case Status (2007 2008)

• Resolve Marine Group and Miller Environmental
  Group hired under existing CG MLC emergency
  response contracts
• Both companies begin mobilizing gear, securing
  hull containment and initiate extensive site
  safety preps
• Updated dive survey

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Current SEAWITCH Case Status (2007 2008)

• Resolve/Miller complete successful re-float of
  SEAWITCH on 13 September
• Re-floating of SEAWITCH hull necessary to
  accurately confirm quantity of oil present in
  double bottom tanks

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Current SEAWITCH Case Status (2007 2008)

• Hold designations

455
1
2
3
4
5
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Current SEAWITCH Case Status (2007 2008)

• Hold 4 and 5 (and double bottoms) relatively
  clean and free of heavy oil Hold 1 thru 3
  accessed and approximately 33,000 gallons of oil
  and 15 tons of oil-contaminated mud removed as of
  15 November. Pumping operations still underway.

Technicians continue oil removal ops from hold
no. 2
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Current SEAWITCH Case Status (2007 2008)

• Federal project ceiling at 14.5M (as of 20
  November 08)
• No. 6 oil highly viscous oil has to be heated,
  cut with diesel, then pumped off the SEAWITCH
• 24/7 operations
• Weekly Unified Command meetings at
  Fairfield/Mercedes facility

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Current SEAWITCH Case Status (2007 2008)

• Vessel destruction request memo approved by
  Commandant on 29 October 2008
• Destruction approval needed to ensure maximum
  full and complete validation of clean-up
  operations.

APPROVED
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Way Ahead

• SAFETY!!!
• Continue heating and pumping of No. 6 oil
• Dead ship tow on or about 01 December 2008
• Contractor demobilization
• Stand down SEAWITCH Unified Command

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Unified Command Elements

• Coast Guard
• Coast Guard Headquarters (CG-533)
• 5th Coast Guard District/Regional Response Team
  III
• Sector Baltimore
• National Pollution Funds Center
• Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team
• Coast Guard Marine Safety Center
• Coast Guard Salvage Engineering Response Team
• State of Maryland
• Department of the Environment
• Department of Transportation
• Maryland Port Administration
• MD National Guard 32nd Civil Support Team

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Unified Command Elements, continued

• Regional Response Team, Region III
• Environmental Protection Agency
• National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
  Administration
• Tri-State Bird Rescue
• Emergency Response Contractors
• Resolve Marine Group
• Miller Environmental Group

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