Americas News
Bunker Spill from U.S. Ferry
About 10 gallons of diesel spilled from a ferry in the Western U.S. state of Washington Monday morning, local newspaper The Herald reports.
"We received a report at approximately 4:30 a.m. from the ferry service that the ferry Walla Walla had suffered an equipment failure as they were transferring diesel fuel between tanks on board," said U.S. Coast Guard officer Katelyn Shearer.
"The estimate was that approximately 15 to 20 gallons of diesel spilled onto the deck of the ferry and that about 10 gallons had spilled into the water."
The Coast Guard monitored cleanup operations by a state contractor, which used containment booms to prevent the fuel from spreading.
Ferry service was temporarily disrupted but resumed Monday afternoon, and the Walla Walla was permitted to leave at 12:50 p.m.
The Walla-Walla, operated by the state-owned Washington State Ferries, has a maximum capacity of 2,000 passengers and 188 vehicles, according to the ferry service's website.
