Environment Minister Kenred Dorsett said Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) container vessel "Eugenia", which spilled 3,000 gallons of oil in Bahamian waters, and the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), which had 70,000 gallons of its fuel spill from an Eleuthera storage facility, will be responsible for all costs arising as a result of the spills. "We wish to assure the Bahamian people that the monitoring of the Freeport Harbour and its immediate environs and that of the spill site in Rock Sound, Eleuthera will continue to take place," Dorsett said yesterday in the House of Assembly. "The companies responsible for the spills will bear all costs associated with the review, remediation and restoration of the environment to its normal pristine condition."

So far the impact of both spills have been minimal. Eugenia reported a "slow leak" 12 miles off the coast of Grand Bahama on December 3. Up to Friday, officers from the Department of Environmental Heath Services (DEHS) received reports of tar balls on Coral Beach, Grand Bahama. Dorsett said the size of the tar balls ranged from one to four centimeters each and appeared to be fresh. He noted that tar balls are typically associated with petroleum spills of this type of fuel and were collected by a cleanup crew. He added that the DEHS continues to monitor the Freeport Harbour area for contamination of the shoreline. According to Dorsett, on the northwestern side of the harbor is a strong petroleum odor and oil is visible in some areas. Dorsett said surface oil residue can also be seen in the Freeport Harbour waterway.

There are also small amounts of contaminated sand on the beach, which he said DEHS is responsible for removing. As for the damaged vessel, Dorsett said it is now being repaired at Grand Bahama Shipyard. Regarding the Eleuthera oil spill, which was discovered on December 4, Dorsett said Baychem, the New Providence-based company hired for the cleanup, placed a berm 10 feet away from the spill site to prevent it from spreading. He said the recovered oil was transferred to a decommissioned tank for disposal. Baychem also initiated the excavation of the contaminated soil and backfilled the area with clean soil. Dorsett said that there does not seem to be groundwater contamination, however it was reported that some of the wetlands were contaminated.

The minister said about 40,000 gallons to 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel was lost, but 95 percent of the spill has been recovered by BEC. Dorsett added that an official from the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) reported that the fuel spill was limited to a few inches and saturated in patched soiled areas, with some impact on the neighboring wetland area. The impacted area is hard and exposed with grass vegetation and invasive plant species. Dorsett said DEHS is monitoring the removal of all contaminated material from the site and is approving the process of remediation.

Additionally, a further assessment will be conducted by the BEST Commission and the Water Resources Management Unit of the WSC. "My ministry is also revising the inland fuel/oil cleanup policy and guidelines to ensure that additional stakeholders are involved in the response and that we remain on the cutting edge of policy and guidelines to ensure the protection of our environment and natural resources," said Dorsett. BEC Chairman Leslie Miller said earlier this week that the suspected theft and spill of 70,000 gallons of fuel at a BEC storage facility in Eleuthera represents gross negligence on the part of the corporation. He added that the cleanup exercise could cost the corporation over $100,000.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian