NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Tar balls along the New Jersey coast, pollution on the shoreline north of Brooklyn's Gravesend Bay area, and at beaches on Staten Island have been linked to an oil spill, officials announced last week.
Laboratory results from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Laboratory confirmed the connection between the oil spill incidents in both states which was traced back to a spill during a transfer at an oil facility in Bayonne, New Jersey, on Nov. 22.
The responsible company was identified as Brothers Company, represented by Gallagher Marine Systems.
The Coast Guard, alongside Vane Brothers, actively monitored and managed the cleanup of this spill, which remains under investigation, officials said.
Following the spill, discoveries of tar balls along the New Jersey coast from Sea Bright to Asbury Park, and pollution on the shoreline north of Coney Island Creek in Brooklyn's Gravesend Bay area, as well as tar balls at Fort Wadsworth beach on Staten Island were discovered.
Coast Guard Marine Safety Laboratory linked these to the Bayonne oil spill through sample analysis. The results for the tar balls found at Fort Wadsworth are pending.
"I can't overstate the value of the collaboration across the Unified Command members in driving towards a resolution of our response actions," Capt. Zeita Merchant, the Captain of the Port of New York and New Jersey and Coast Guard Sector New York commander, said. "Drawing on the expertise of all our partners in New York and New Jersey is critical in ensuring that the interests of the public and the safety of the environment are met. There remains work to be done, and the responsible party is taking leadership in any potential issues related to the spill moving forward."
Cleanup operations are still ongoing in areas of New Jersey.
