Mega Borg oil spill

[3] The fire caused by the initial explosion took eight days to burn out, making it hard for firefighters to board the tanker and stop the leakage of oil.

The Elf Acquitane Petroleum Company of Houston (owners of part of the Mega Borg’s cargo) used planes to spread dispersants within five miles of the site of the tanker’s explosion.

The microbes work by breaking down oil by “eating” it and turning the “hydrocarbons into more benign byproducts.” The only drawback to this method was that, at the time, scientists were unsure about whether or not the bacteria cause more toxins to be released into the water.

[8] A “slick-sucking vessel” was sent by the Coast Guard and was waiting on standby in case the Mega Borg sank and released its entire load of oil into the ocean.

Redding answered this by explaining that “A foam attack without extensive cooling has no chance of killing a fire of this type.”[4] The explosion’s initial damage was inflicted on the 41 crew members aboard – two of them died, two disappeared and are presumed dead, and 17 were injured.

Additionally, the National Wildlife Refuges near Galveston’s shores, nearby salt marches, and oyster reefs were all in potential danger depending on the extent of the slick’s spread.

If ratified, the protocols would do a number of things including create multiple new federal response teams and a new fleet of special containment booms and skimmers.