Alytus

Sold for $ 13.3m to Indian buyers

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fined the owner of the "Nord Auckland", the Danish firm, Norden Shipping, with $2,100 after oil leaked into the Columbia River near Goble. On Feb. 18, 2016, the bulkcarrier was anchored in the Columbia River near Goble awaiting a berth at the Port of Kalama. Approximately 13 gallons of waste oil spilled into the Columbia River. A waste oil incinerator tank on Nord Auckland overflowed causing waste oil to flow onto the deck of the vessel and into the Columbia River. On Feb. 18 through Feb. 19, DEQ maintained there was an oil sheen on the Columbia River downstream of Nord Auckland up to three quarters of a mile long. Investigators for DEQ said the ship’s crew deployed oil containment booms around the vessel and had the hull cleaned after it docked in Kalama, in an effort to minimize the spill’s impact. DEQ stated it issued this penalty because spilling oil into the Columbia River is a serious violation of Oregon environmental law. The spilling of oil or petroleum products into the river has negative environmental impacts on aquatic life and ecosystems. Norden Shipping had given time until May 2 to appeal the penalty.

The US COast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology personnel were overseeing pollution cleanup after sheening was reported around the "Nord Auckland" anchored near Kalama on Feb 18, 2016. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received reports of sheening in the water from National Response Center personnel at 10:05 a.m. Pollution response experts from the Incident Management Division, based at Marine Safety Unit Portland, Oregon, arrived on scene at approximately 1 p.m. Ecology staff participated in an overflight surveillance this afternoon and observed a number of sheening trails downriver. Some oil was observed near shorelines and near wildlife concentrations. Their assessment teams was mobilize in the morning of Feb 19 to further investigate the extent of environmental impacts. The USCG contracted Clean Rivers Cooperative, who sent two booming vessels to the scene with crews engaged in cleanup operations after the vessel released bunker oil due to operator error that was intended to be burned in the incinerator. Report with photos: http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2788681/