Coast Guard responds to diesel spill near Paducah, Kentucky

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 8th District Heartland Contact: 8th District Public Affairs Office: (504) 671-2020 After Hours: (618) 225-9008 Eighth District online newsroom February 19, 2019

Coast Guard responds to diesel spill near Paducah, Kentucky 

NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard is responding to a diesel oil spill in the Tennessee River near Paducah, Kentucky, Tuesday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received a report at 8:27 a.m. that the vessel Patricia I. Hart, while being transported by an assist tug to a dry dock, hit a pier at James Marine Inc., at mile marker 4.5 on the Tennessee River.

The pier cut a small gash in the vessel, which caused approximately 3,000 gallons of diesel to discharge into the water.

The source of the discharge has been secured.

E3, an oil spill response organization recovered appropriately 250 gallons of oil from the water and removed the remaining 2,700 gallons of oil from the vessel’s fuel tanks.

E3 contained the spill with sorbent pads and containment boom.

There are no reports of injuries or waterway impacts caused by the incident.

Coast Guard members from Marine Safety Unit Paducah arrived on scene at 9:15 a.m. to investigate the incident. Coast Guard members are scheduled to return to the scene of the incident Wednesday to continue the investigation.

-USCG-