The US Coast Guard and partner agencies have responded to a diesel fuel spill from a sunken tugboat on the Tennessee River, near Florence, Alabama. Most of the fuel was being contained by hard booms and was being recovered via a vacuum truck and drum skimmer. The maximum potential for spill was put at 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel. Thus far there had been no reports of injuries or wildlife impact.
USCG Sector Ohio Valley was notified by RMB Marine Services during the afternoon of Sunday July 16th of the sunken tugboat in the Port of Florence, near mile marker 257 on the Tennessee River. Pollution responders from USCG Marine Safety Detachment Nashville were deployed to assess the situation on scene.
An estimated 200ft of hard boom was deployed on Sunday to contain the product in the water. Another 350 feet of boom was deployed Monday as a secondary barrier.
The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.