As a result, the cargo of the barge, number 6 fuel oil, spilled into the waters of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

Estimates of the total amount spilled range from 22,000 to 98,000 gallons of oil according to a publication by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A local scientist from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute explains that the processing of oil yields various components of varying danger to the environment.

Efforts lasted in earnest for several years and continued to some degree until 2007, according to a report by the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program.

[5] Soon after the running aground, at 5:30 pm local time Bouchard notified the U.S. Coast Guard (USGC) of the incident.

State and federal officials redirected the tug and barge further into the bay, where divers assessed the damage inflicted onto the hull.

[5] Estimates vary, but approximately 22,000 to 98,000 gallons of oil was released into Buzzards Bay, effecting 105 miles of shoreline.

Modeling and field data analysis showed that water column concentrations of hydrocarbons were not high enough to cause acute toxicity, with further surveys finding no evidence of a significant amount submerged oil.