Irresponsible Parties By Maya van Rossum, Delaware Riverkeeper
AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek
»On the evening of November 26, 2004, the Delaware River suffered its worst oil assault in decades. As the Greek oil tanker the Athos I was maneuvering into the dock in Paulsboro, New Jersey, it hit a 15-foot steel pump casing, a concrete block and an anchor on the river bottom. An almost six feet long gash and a two by one foot hole were ripped in the tanker hull. Crude oil began spilling out of the breached hull, quickly covering the river. As much as 473,500 gallons of Venezuelan crude oil, among the heaviest oils, cascaded into the Delaware. Soon, birds, other wildlife and important river and wetland habitats were coated in thick oil. Although agencies moved quickly to address the spill, damage was already being done. The oil spread quickly, each day covering more of the river, flowing into and contaminating tributary streams and sensitive habitats. The smell of oil, an air of hurt and harm, hung heavily over riverside communities. Twenty, then 30, 40, 50, 60 miles on its way down to the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, it spread in the form of dense slugs of tar, tar balls, sheen and oil. Within the first 24 hours, Delaware Riverkeeper Network staff went to work creating oil spill assessment protocols and datasheets, coordinating with public agencies, contacting local volunteer monitoring groups, developing Internet resources and mobilizing and training concerned citizens. Our priorities were first, to inspect cleanup measures
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and alert officials of areas in need of maintenance. Second, to identify and report oiled wildlife. Third, to track the extent and degree of contamination of oiling up the tidal tributaries of the Delaware. And fourth, to generate documentation to support a thorough and comprehensive Natural Resource Damage Assessment for the river. This assessment would hold the tanker’s owners and operators responsible for the irreparable environmental harm being inflicted. Delaware Riverkeeper Network also organized, supported, informed and worked with other organizations to monitor riparian wetlands and beaches to track the dispersion of tar balls as far south as Cape May, NJ. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network’s more than 100 dedicated volunteers jumped to the cause as well. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network’s decadeold volunteer monitoring program relies on committed and trained volunteer monitors to help us protect the river. So when the Athos I began leaking large amounts of Venezuelan crude from its damaged hull, we knew that a citizen monitoring initiative could serve as our extended eyes and ears. In the initial weeks of the spill, Delaware Riverkeeper Network volunteers documented the effectiveness of cleanup operations, inspecting the conditions of booms placed at the mouths of tributary streams and other sensitive locations. When booms were in need of attention, the Delaware Riverkeeper used volunteer
The Coast Guard estimated that had Athos I been a double hulled tanker the Delaware River would have been spared 265,000 gallons of heavy crude oil.
The Athos I lists towards its port side in the Delaware River near Philadelphia, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2004, after the tanker spilled 30,000 gallons of crude oil. Summer 2007 Waterkeeper Magazine 43
