MANISTEE (WWJ) — U.S. Coast Guard personnel, along with state and local agencies, are responding to an oil spill in Lake Michigan after a freighter discovered a hole in its hull on Wednesday.
USCG officials said the 612-foot bulk carrier motor vessel "Manitowoc" reported a hull breach on its starboard diesel tank just before 3 p.m. while approximately 1.5 nautical miles offshore of Manistee, Mich.
"The maximum spill potential is 45,174 gallons of diesel," the Coast Guard said in a prepared statement. "A red slick was observed approximately 1.6 miles by 200 yards wide projecting to the northeast from the vessel within a few hours of the report."
Sector Lake Michigan Coast Guard Lt. Heather Stemmerman told WWJ's Beth Fisher that they're unsure how much fuel got dumped into the lake.
"We did get some ballpark figures from the responsible party representatives, however, we kind of error on the side of caution," Stemmerman said. "We're not sure because there's so many different factors, so we always like to give the worst case discharge amount, which is the 45,000 gallon potential."
"But you don't think it was anywhere near that much?" Fisher asked.
"Correct," Stemmerman replied. "No, no, we do not."
Stemmerman said the leak was found when the crews of the Manitowoc noticed that their fuel tanks were filling up with water.
"They were able to make temporary repairs.. it was about a one inch hole," the lieutenant added.
According to the USCG, the crews of the Manitowoc immediately activated their response plan when the leak was discovered and their diesel spill removal organization responded to the scene on Wednesday.
The level of diesel in the damaged tank was lowered below where the hole was found penetrating the hull. The hole has since been plugged and the vessel is no longer leaking fuel, Stemmerman said.
An absorbent boom was deployed in Lake Michigan to soak up oil while another 4,000 ft containment boom was placed around the vessel and the spill to prevent it from spreading.
Stemmerman said they might have a better idea of how long response efforts will take after they meet with contractors working at the scene on Thursday.
The impact to 5th Ave Beach, along with other beaches not far from where the spill occurred, is currently unknown. Officials canceled an earlier alert stating wind conditions were expected to push spilled fuel to shore.
The USCG said they are working "diligently" with partners at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to map the projected movement of the spilled fuel and advised the public to stay away from locations that could be affected.
"Diesel is a hazardous material and can present significant health hazards, so the public is asked to stay away from areas that have diesel and do not attempt to rescue injured wildlife," the USCG advised.
Stemmerman said there is no known impact to drinking water at this time as water comes from "way below and the diesel goes at the very top."
The lieutenant added that the Coast Guard will take penalties against the owner of the vessel into consideration as they continue to investigate the incident.
"We have to determine everything all together, so we don't have that yet, but usually owners are responsible for cleaning it up and penalties will come later if they are gonna be a thing," she said.
Along with the USCG, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Manistee County Emergency Management, Benzie County Emergency Management, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Manistee and Benzie County Sheriff’s Offices, the City of Manistee and the responsible party are all working together in the cleanup.
The public is asked to call (231) 723-6241 for any confirmed sighting of diesel reaching the shoreline. Updates will be provided via the Ninth Coast Guard District’s Twitter page: @USCGGreatLakes.