Officials are in the process of containing up to 8,400 gallons of oil that spilled onto a barge at the Port of Wilmington, a spill in the Christina River. Operations at the Port are not effected by the spill or cleanup.
Earlier reports from the Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control said the spill made its way into the Delaware River, but the Coast Guard said the spill is contained in the Christina. The Coast Guard said there could be a sheen of oil on the Delaware River.
The Coast Guard in Philadelphia is halting traffic and enforcing a “safety zone” in the Christina River, and a cleanup crew is working on the site. A barrier has been placed between the barge and the river to mitigate further sheening of oil into the water, officials said.
The fuel spill occurred during a transfer from the Buckeye terminal to the barge.
Buckeye PT Terminals L.P. owns and operates a petroleum terminal and storage depot at the Port, according to Port of Wilmington’s website.
In 2009, Buckeye concluded a $72 million expansion project at their marine distribution facility at the Port of Wilmington and is now capable of handling and storing shipments of gasoline, ethanol, heating oil, fuel oil and many other types of petroleum products.