NOAA News NOAA Home Page Previous Story Jan. 23, 2001

NOAA SCIENTISTS PROVIDE EXPERTISE IN GALAPAGOS ISLANDS OIL SPILL

January 26, 2001 — Two NOAA oil spill experts are supporting the efforts in the Galapagos Islands after a tanker spilled oil. They are part of a U.S. team led by the U.S. Coast Guard assisting Ecuador's government in mitigating the spill. On Friday, the Coast Guard Strike Team assisted the Ecuadoran Navy to right the vessel Jessica that is currently listing 50-degrees to starboard on a shallow shoal off the harbor entrance. The hope is to right the vessel to a 10-degree list for final oil removal and salvage. It is suspected that most of the tanks have been breached, and most of the oil not offloaded from the ship has already been lost to the environment, according to NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration in Seattle, Wash.

(Click image for larger view. Photo of NOAA scientific support coordinator Charlie Henry with seal pups on Santa Cruz Island. Please credit "NOAA" on all photos.)

Residual oil on-board was estimated at less than 10,000 gallons of combined diesel and Intermediate Fuel Oil (IFO). Each day the amount of oil leaking from the vessel
appears to be less. Sea urchins and sea cucumbers were found on beaches near the wreck, and NOAA has suggested that these be continually removed to prevent birds from eating the contaminated sea urchins.

NOAA's scientific support coordinators (SSCs) have been on overflights with their Ecuadoran counterparts to assess if dispersant should be used near-shore where large patches of oil were reported and provide assistance in pollution tracking and trajectories.

Click images for larger view.

Oil Dispersant System
Listing Jessica Tanker
Applying Oil Dispersant
Tar ball on beach

Over Flight Map, Jan. 25, 2001

Dispersants are being recommended, but only when a clear trade-off is identified and a low risk to the coastline and intertidal environment exist. For example, NOAA's oil spill experts stress applying dispersants at the slack tide before and through most of the ebb tidal cycle.

It was clear from the earlier overflights and consultation with a local naturalist, who accompanied the flights, that a strong near-shore current would carry the dispersant plum along shore and off the point on the northeast end of Isla Cristobal under the conditions described. The emphasis, or trade-off, for using dispersants was to reduce shoreline impacts to highly sensitive shorelines, birds, marine mammals, and iguanas.

Command Structure and Mission

The Ecuador Military is in charge of the salvage operations. The U.S. Coast Guard is
assisting in this mission. The Galapagos National Park is in charge of the cleanup and mitigation. The Charles Darwin Research Station is providing scientific support to the national park.

NOAA has worked closely with both the national park and the research station. One
of the biggest contributions NOAA has made to the response is providing technical expertise and recommendations on shoreline cleanup concerns. In part, NOAA's mission is to provided sound scientific consultation to the response officials.

The Galapagos Islands are composed of shorelines not atypical of those NOAA has responded to in the past, but the unique wildlife, including many species found only in the Galapagos Islands, makes this response different. NOAA's understanding of oil-shoreline interactions, combined with the knowledge of the Darwin Station scientists and park service officials of local habitats and wildlife behavior, have improved response and contingency planning for shoreline cleanup.

Shoreline Habitats

From overflights, field trips, and discussions with Galapagos naturalists, it appears that there are five main shoreline types: Exposed Rocky Shores, Exposed Rocky Platforms, Exposed Rocky Platforms with Gravel (cobble and boulder), Sand Beaches, and Fringing Mangroves. Each contain unique response issues given wildlife concerns for such animals as marine iguanas and sea lions.

Oil strandings were reported on Isla San Cristobal, Santa Fe, and Santa Cruz. Most of the reports suggest very limited shoreline oiling.

An earlier survey of San Cristobal identified sheens but no observable oil. A survey was conducted by NOAA with the Galapagos National Park Officials on Santa Fe and Santa Cruz on January 24 and 25. As many as 20 seal pups have been reported oiled at that location. Oiling was minor and the pups captured, cleaned and released. While the oiling is minor, residual oil does present a risk, particularly to the pups which seek shelter from the sun during the day in crevices where most of the oil was observed.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration

U.S. Coast Guard Oil Spill Off Galapagos Islands

U.S. Coast Guard National Strike Force

Frequently-Asked Questions About Oil Spills

Media Contacts:
Connie Barclay, NOAA's National Ocean Service, (301) 713-3070 ext. 178 or Dan Dewell, U.S. Coast Guard, (202) 267-2304, cell (202) 493-9821

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