Long Beach fuel spill

An oil spill in Long Beach harbour early last week left clean-up crews working against the clock to remove the oil from the harbour.

More than 15 clean-up vessels attended the scene after oil leaked during the refuelling of a ship at the container terminal wharf on Sunday evening. The spill response it seems was excellent, with spill containment booms quickly deployed around the vessel.

An aerial survey of the spill the morning after the accident showed that most of the spill had been contained.

Coastguard Petty Officer Matt Schofield stated:

"It doesn't appear there's much if any free-floating oil or (petroleum) sheens beyond the immediate area,"

The spill didn’t disrupt shipping in the area and was quickly brought under control by the spill response vehicles on Monday afternoon.

Spill response systems

If spill response systems are put in place, the effective clean-up of a spilled substance can be efficiently handled. Using the right spill clean-up equipment and having employees that are trained in how best to handle spills of different substances can really make a difference to your business and the environment.