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Tampa Bay Reopens After Collision, Spill

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By KEITH MORELLI

kmorelli@tampatrib.com

Published: February 14, 2009

TAMPA - A 1,000-gallon spill of diesel fuel into Tampa Bay will not seriously damage the environment, authorities say, but the collision that led to it forced the Coast Guard to shut down the Bay for more than 12 hours.

The spill was caused by a collision of a fishing trawler and a barge a couple of miles north of the Sunshine Skyway bridge about 8 p.m. Thursday. With darkness and fog shrouding the area, the Coast Guard shut down all traffic into and out of Tampa Bay.

After dawn Friday, officials determined the spill largely was contained and the shipping channels were reopened.

The Bay had been shut down from its upper regions to the Sunshine Skyway, including the main shipping channel connecting the Port of Tampa to the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard announced just before 11 a.m. Friday that it was lifting all boating restrictions imposed shortly after the collision.

After sunrise Friday, the portion of the Bay north of the Big Bend area had been opened to vessels, but traffic was not being allowed in the area stretching from Big Bend south to the Sunshine Skyway.

A few barges and ships were in a holding pattern overnight west of the Skyway, waiting to get to the port. The vessels in port were under orders to stay put, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Sondra Kneen.

The Maranatha, an 80-foot fishing boat from Irvington, Ala., and the Coastal, a 95-foot barge, collided Thursday night about two miles northwest of Manbirtee Key near the Skyway, the Coast Guard said.

The collision left a 4-by-8-inch gash in the Maranatha's starboard fuel tank, officials said. The leak quickly was plugged.

The Coast Guard says about 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel reached the water, but fog and darkness limited officials' ability to make a good estimate. The tank holds about 4,000 gallons.

Booms were positioned around the Maranatha to contain any additional fuel leak, Kneen said.

The St. Petersburg-based Coast Guard cutter Hawk, a 25-foot patrol boat and a pollution abatement team were on the scene Thursday night.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Marguerite Jordan said that three investigators were at the scene early Friday.

"There is no significant environmental impact anticipated," she said. "We're still evaluating it, but it looks like between 800 and 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled, and it's rapidly dissipating."

Nonetheless, The Florida Aquarium offered to help any marine life affected by the spill.

The Maranatha was cleared to head to East Bay with a Coast Guard escort. The Coastal and its accompanying tugboat were cleared to proceed, officials said.

Reporter Ted Jackovics contributed to this report. Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760.

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