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Athos Oil Spill Restoration
On November 26, 2004, tug operators that were assisting the Cyprus-flagged M/T Athos I to dock at the Citgo Asphalt Refinery in Paulsboro, New Jersey, reported to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) that the tanker was leaking oil. The tanker had struck a large, 18,000 pound submerged anchor that punctured the tanker’s bottom.
At the time of the accident, the tide was coming in and within a few hours, thick oil covered the Delaware River and moved approximately 6 miles north to the area around the Walt Whitman Bridge. During the following months, oil from the tanker spread over 115 miles of the Delaware River as well as its tributaries, from the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge to south of the Smyrna River in Delaware. The incident also forced the USCG to close the River to commercial traffic for over a week. Injuries to natural and recreational resources were assessed by the Trustees beginning shortly after the spill.
Injured Resources
The oil spill resulted in injuries to natural resources and recreational services. Injuries were summarized in the September 2009 Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment as follows:
- Shoreline – 1729 acres oiled, ranging from very lightly to heavily
- Tributaries – 1899 acres over six tributaries exposed to very light to moderate oiling
- Aquatic – 4122 acres exposed to oil
- Birds – 11,869 estimated dead
- Recreational services – estimated 41,709 boat trips on the river affected, at an estimated lost value of $1,319,097
The shorelines affected included sand/mud substrate, marsh, seawalls and coarse substrates, with the majority of the habitats coarse substrate (137 acres) and marshes (116 acres). Subtidal benthic habitat was also affected. Numerous birds were injured, both directly and indirectly, including dabbling ducks, diving ducks, diving birds, gulls, shorebirds, wading birds, kingfishers, swans and geese. Canada geese, mallards and gulls comprised 91% of oiled birds observed.
News release on oil Athos spill compensation
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| Athos Tanker |
Anchor being removed from Delaware River |
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| Cleanup south of National Park boat ramp |
Shoreline Cleanup on Delaware River |
The restoration strategy designed to compensate for natural resource and service losses included a total of ten projects, with three of them located in New Jersey.
The three projects are:
The assessment of injuries and restoration plans are described in greater detail in the Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment prepared by the Trustee agencies dated September 2009, available at http://www.darrp.noaa.gov/northeast/athos/pdf/Athos_Final_RP.pdf
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