Americas News
Bunker Spill Off California Coast Linked to Vessel That Sank Over 60 Years Ago
The International Bird Rescue says samples taken from nine oil-covered birds found in Monterey Bay, California in the U.S. since last year have been traced to bunkers leaking from the S.S. Jacob Luckenbach, a cargo ship that sank with 457,000 gallons of fuel in July of 1954 about 17 miles west-southwest of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, local media reports.
The vessel, which is submerged under 180 feet of water, has been leaking intermittently over the years, particularly during the strong currents brought on during winter months, which bring the oil to the ocean’s surface, says the International Bird Rescue.
"International Bird Rescue exists to help mitigate human impacts on birds, and the Luckenbach unfortunately is a huge human mistake that continues to taint these beautiful seabirds,” said J.D. Bergeron, executive director of the International Bird Rescue.
Oil spills at Point Reyes in 1997 and another incident off San Mateo in 2001 were first linked to the S.S. Jacob Luckenbach in 2002, after which the U.S. Coast Guard is said to have helped to remove more than 100,000 gallons of fuel oil from the vessel.
The remaining oil is said to have been sealed inside the sunken ship, including a reported 29,000 gallons that authorities were unable to pump out of the ship’s tank.
Three of the recently found nine oil-covered birds are said to have been released back into the wild, while two others are still being cared for, and the other four have died.
In August, Ship & Bunker reported that Keith Gordon of the New Zealand Underwater Heritage Group Inc. (Underwater Heritage Group) called bunkers onboard the RMS Niagara, which sank off of New Zealand's coast in 1940, "an ecological time bomb."
