Fuel oil from a car carrier capsized off Georgia's coast for weeks has formed an oil sheen on the water while "tar balls" have made their way to nearby shores, officials say.
Hyundai Glovis' 7,700-ceu Golden Ray (built 2017) on 8 September turned on its side in St. Simons Sound about half mile away from the shorelines of Brunswick and Jekyll Island.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) and other responders rescued all 24 crewmembers by the following day, allowing salvage crews to focus on lightering and eventually removing the ship.
The operation's Unified Command on 27 September noticed discharges of ship bunker as a result of strong tidal patterns, USCG Petty Officer Michael Himes said.
"They're happening periodically," he told TradeWinds Tuesday.
As of Tuesday night, 106,101 gallons of fuel had been transferred to a barge but it is unknown how much has leaked from the ship, he said.
More than 14,700 feet of oil booms and six skimmer vessels are containing a large area of oil sheen around the vessel and have thus far kept it from reaching the shore.
"At this time, there are no reports of oil sheen" on the shore, Himes said.
'Tar ball' alert issued
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Coastal Health District, however, is alerting swimmers and fishers to the presence of oil in another form off nearby Jekyll Island.
"According to the St. Simons Sound Incident Unified Command, the oil is NOT an active oil sheen or oil slick covering the water’s surface," it posted prominently Tuesday on its website.
"Instead, responders are finding bits of weathered oil including tarballs smaller than the size of a quarter washing up onto the sand at Jekyll Island."
The district has not closed the beaches to the public but has issued a "yellow alert", urging swimmers to avoid any oily substance in the water.
"Swim and fish with caution and avoid contact with oil on the beach," the alert said.
"If you step on a tar ball or get oil on your skin, wash off the oil with soap and clean water."
They are also told to report any sightings of oil or tar balls to the USCG.
The response team, which includes Gallagher Marine Services and Don Jon Salvage, consists of more than 350 people and more than 70 vessels on-site.
"The fact that the ship is on its side, we are doing what we can to create a containment area but the currents and tidal movements are creating challenges," Himes said.
Calls to Gallagher Marine Services, which is overseeing the cleanup and salvage, and shipowner Hyundai Glovis were not immediately returned.
