Coast Guard, federal, local agencies conduct oil spill response exercise at the Limetree Bay refinery in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Contact: Coast Guard Puerto Rico PA Office Office: 787-729-2381 After Hours: 787-510-7923 7th District Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands online newsroom

Coast Guard, federal, local agencies conduct oil spill response exercise at the Limetree Bay refinery in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

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ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands – Coast Guard, federal and U.S. Virgin Islands emergency responders in cooperation Limetree Bay Ventures, LLC conducted an oil pollution response exercise Tuesday and Wednesday at the Limetree Bay refinery facility in Christiansted, St. Croix.

The government led functional exercise is a part of the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) required under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

“These exercises are of the upmost importance to the collective preparedness and readiness of federal, local and industry emergency responders in cases involving a major pollution incident or a natural disaster in the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Capt. Gregory H. Magee, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan. “The people of the U.S. Virgin Islands deserve the best plans and response to any given incident.  To achieve this, it is crucial our Area Contingency Plan remains current and that our response community stays proficient in the execution of the plan during a real world incident.”

"Limetree Bay appreciates the continued partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, as we work to further our commitment to occupational safety and environmental stewardship," said Jeff Charles, Limetree Bay Vice-President of Terminal Operations. The restart of operations at Limetree has been made possible through a collborative relationship with our government partners, and investment in state of the art equipment and upgrades.  This week's exercise is an important component of Limetree's comprehensive commitment to environmental protection and the health and safety of our employees, and the St. Croix community".

During the exercise, participants will deploy response equipment to contain a simulated major waterside oil spill at the Limetree Bay facility from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 17th. People should not be alarmed by the increased presence of emergency responders and response equipment at the facility during the exercise.

The U.S. Coast Guard alongside federal and local area partners conduct emergency preparedness and pollution response exercises every year as part of established multi-year strategies to build capabilities and improve readiness levels. Planning, training and exercising are important components of the nation’s homeland security strategy and response capabilities.

The goal of the exercise is to evaluate the ability of the response organization in utilizing the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) as a response management system to form a Unified Command (UC) and provide a competent response and initial assessment of the potential impacts of an oil spill. The exercise also seeks to validate the Limetree Bay Facility Response Plan and current notification procedures and processes listed in the Area Contingency Plan (ACP) emergency responders are to follow during an oil pollution incident in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Emergency response equipment and vehicles that will be deployed to the Limetree Bay facility from federal, local and industry emergency responders include tug-boats, skimming vessels and oil containment boom.

The joint response exercise involved federal, state, local, area and private responders, including the U.S. Coast Guard’s District Seven, Sector San Juan, and  the National Strike Force; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Virgin Islands Office of the Governor, U.S. Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA), U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Natural of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), DPNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Tristate Bird Rescue andResearch Inc., the North Coast Harbor Safety and Security Committee for Puerto Rico, the National Response Corporation and FR Consulting LLC.

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