New Carissa
New Carissa broken in two
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History | |
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Philippines | |
Name | New Carissa |
Owner | Green Atlas Shipping, Panama |
Operator | Taiheiyo Kaiun Co. Ltd., Japan |
Port of registry | Manila |
Ordered | September 1988[2] |
Builder | Imabari Shipbuilding, Japan |
Yard number | 1172[2] |
Laid down | 28 February 1989[2] |
Launched | 22 June 1989[2] |
Completed | 30 August 1989[2] |
In service | 1989–1999 |
Identification | |
Fate | Ran aground near Coos Bay, Oregon, U.S., on 4 February 1999; broke apart on beach. Bow towed out to sea, sunk. Stern section remained ashore until being dismantled and removed in 2008. |
General characteristics | |
Type | Woodchips carrier[1] |
Tonnage | |
Length | 194.89 m (639 ft 5 in)[2] |
Beam | 32.2 m (105 ft 8 in) |
Draft | 10.8 m (35 ft 5 in) |
Installed power | Mitsubishi-Sulzer 6RTA52; 6,032 kW (8,089 hp) |
Propulsion | Single shaft; fixed pitch propeller |
Speed | 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)[2] |
Capacity | 91,814 m3 (3,242,400 cu ft)[2] |
Crew | 26 |
43°23′55″N 124°18′43″W / 43.39861°N 124.31194°W
MV New Carissa was a
The
Vessel
New Carissa was a Philippine-
New Carissa was owned by the Japanese shipping concern
Grounding
In February 1999, New Carissa was bound for the
Poor
Neither the captain nor any of the 22-man crew was injured in the incident.
Rescue and recovery operations
Recovery operations began immediately when the grounding was first reported by the ship's crew. Several factors combined to severely complicate the operation. A Unified Command for the operation, consisting of representatives from the Coast Guard, the State of Oregon, and rescue party operations, was quickly established.
Initial rescue attempts
Initial rescue operations were hampered by inclement weather. Attempts to move New Carissa under her own power failed, and tugboat assistance was not available immediately after the grounding. Only one tugboat was available locally, but she was unable to cross the Coos Bay bar because of safety concerns. It was also uncertain whether or not the locally available tugboat could have successfully rescued New Carissa. The nearest salvage tugboat capable of towing a large ship off a beach, Salvage Chief, was moored at her home port of Astoria, 200 statute miles (320 km) to the north, a 24-hour journey away. Salvage Chief had not sailed in over a year, and it took 18 hours to fuel, provision, and find a crew for the ship. Once mobilized, poor weather in the Astoria area prevented the tugboat from crossing the treacherous Columbia River bar for an additional two days. Salvage Chief did not arrive in the area until 8 February, four days after the grounding occurred.[11]
Continued poor weather drove New Carissa closer to the shore. Technical teams from two salvage contractors, Smit International and Salvage Master, had been working with the Coast Guard since 5 February and had drawn up plans to attempt to refloat the vessel, but when cracks in the hull and oil leaks were observed on 8 February, any refloating attempts were precluded by the focus on preventing of a large-scale oil spill.
Wreck recovery operations
Since the vessel was no longer seaworthy and could not move under its own power, even if freed from the beach, the focus of the operation changed. Oil from the ship's fuel tanks continued to pose an environmental hazard, a situation exacerbated by both the ship's structural failure and continuing pounding from the surf. In order to mitigate the damage the Unified Command decided to set the fuel tanks on fire in order to burn off the oil. The first attempt was made on 10 February. Napalm and other incendiary devices were used to ignite the fuel, but only one of the diesel tanks was burned effectively. A second attempt was made on 11 February when US Navy explosive experts placed 39 shaped charges to breach the top of the fuel tanks from within the cargo holds. 602 U.S. gallons (2,280 L) of napalm and nearly 397 pounds (180 kg) of plastic explosives were also used to ignite the fuel on board. The ship burned for approximately 33 hours.[12] Additional smaller-scale attempts were made to burn more oil over the next two days, with limited success. The total amount of oil that was burned is estimated to be between 165,000 and 255,000 US gallons (620 and 970 m3).[12] The structural stress caused by the fire, combined with continued severe weather, caused the vessel to break into two sections around midnight on 11 February.
After additional weather-related delays, on 26 February salvors managed to float the 440-foot (134 m)
The stern section remained aground, but did not pose a significant oil spill threat as the majority of the oil on board had already leaked or burned. Some remaining oil that was found on board was skimmed or pumped out manually.[13] In June 1999, Green Atlas awarded a ship breaking contract to Donjon Marine Co. and Fred Devine Diving and Salvage.[13] Although the two companies were able to remove approximately one-third of the stern, their attempts to dismantle the largest section or tow it to sea were unsuccessful and had to be abandoned over the winter.[4][6] Work did not resume in the spring of 2000, and in 2001, a salvage expert hired by Green Atlas asserted that the stern should not be removed because it would create a dangerous work environment.[15] The state later accused Green Atlas of sabotaging the stern removal effort in order to save money and a protracted legal battle ensued.[16]
Dismantling and removal of stern section
Although the initial attempts to dismantle or tow the stern to sea failed, the State of Oregon still intended to see the remainder of the vessel removed from the beach. In 2006, the state's lawsuit against the ship's owners was settled, clearing the legal obstacles that prevented removal and providing the funds necessary to finance the project. Removal plans were complicated by the fact that the stern had become deeply embedded in the sand in the seven years since the wreck, with some portions of the stern estimated to be 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 m) below the sand line.[17]
A project to remove the stern by dismantling it on the beach was started in June 2008, after
Debate about removal
Prior to the dismantling project, there was debate by local residents on whether the wrecked stern should be removed. Some local officials believed the stern, which lay on a remote area of the beach, was not a hazard or an eyesore.
Many others argued that the ship should be removed. Louise Solliday, the director of the
Environmental impact
The wreck of New Carissa caused one of the most serious oil spills to affect the state of Oregon, and the worst since a 1984 spill near Longview, Washington that dumped 200,000 US gallons (760 m3) of oil into the Columbia River.[29] As Oregon has no significant oil refinery facilities, oil tankers do not often dock at its ports, making the state relatively safe from oil spills.[30] Analysis conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that over 3,000 shorebirds and seabirds perished. The birds belonged to more than 50 species.[31][32] Among the birds killed were 262 threatened marbled murrelets and between four and eight endangered western snowy plovers.[33] Harbor seals, fish, and shellfish were also killed or affected. Several beaches were fouled, with tarballs continuing to wash up for more than a month after the wreck.[34]
Despite the loss of marine life, the initial burning of the oil and the successful removal of the bow section prevented what could have been a worse spill. Captain Mike Hall of the Coast Guard stated that "at least 82 percent of the oil on board New Carissa never reached the wildlife or the pristine shoreline of Oregon's coast".[34] The environmental impact of the sinking of the bow section was thought to be minimized since it was towed out beyond the continental shelf, into very deep water. Any remaining oil on board is unlikely to have affected marine life since the low temperatures at the bottom of the ocean would have caused it to solidify.[35]
Prior to the stern section's removal from the beach, environmentalists and local officials were concerned that the remains posed a continuing environmental and safety hazard.[15]
Legal aftermath
Subsequent litigation proved expensive for the ship's owners and insurers, and an investigation into the incident delayed most of the crew's return to their home country.
Litigation
In 2001, Green Atlas Shipping and its insurer, Britannia Steam Ship Insurance Association, sued the United States for
The State of Oregon demanded that the ship's owners or their insurers remove the ship or pay a US$25 million bond to cover the cost of removing the ship and for environmental damages. The state also filed a lawsuit in Coos County, demanding removal, storage fees of US$1,500 per day, restoration of the beach, and other unspecified damages. The state alleged negligence on the part of Morgado and also accused Green Atlas shipping of attempting to avoid the expense of the stern dismantling.[38] On 13 November 2002, a Coos County jury found the ship's owners guilty of negligent trespass after a six-week trial; the state was awarded US$25 million in damages.[39] That sum was placed in escrow, pending appeal.[15] The circuit court judge later remarked that the case was the most memorable of his 37-year career, noting that "You don’t usually get trespass cases that involve a ship".[39] On 23 May 2006, a settlement was reached in the appeal; the state kept US$20 million of the US$25 million in escrow, plus US$2.1 million in interest earned on the escrow account. The remaining US$5 million was returned to Green Atlas Shipping. Of the US$22.1 million that the state was awarded in the settlement, US$3.1 million was used to pay the state's legal fees. The remaining US$19 million was reserved for cleanup, including the removal of the vessel's stern.[27][40]
Numerous private parties, including at least one oyster farmer whose beds were contaminated by oil, successfully sued for damages.[41]
Crew investigation
The captain and most of the crew of the ship—all nationals of the Philippines had to face a U.S. Coast Guard Board of Inquiry, which required them to remain in the United States for several weeks after the wreck. In addition, a federal
Notes
- ^ Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "New Carissa (8716136)". Sea-web. S&P Global. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ISBN 1-900839-96-2. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ a b "New Carissa Fact Sheet" (PDF). Oregon Department of State Lands. March 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ^ a b Bacon, Larry (3 February 2001). "Carissa parties file lawsuit". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 1A.
- ^ a b "Crews abandon effort to move New Carissa's stern from beach". The Associated Press. 2 December 1999.
- ^ a b Hall, Captain Michael J. (June 1999). Crisis on the Coast (PDF) (Report). U.S. Coast Guard. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ US Coast Guard (16 September 1999). "Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Grounding of the Motor Vessel New Carissa" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 February 2008. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^
"Environmental Global Issues Map: New Carissa Oil Spill on the Oregon Coast". McGraw-Hill. March 1999. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
- ^ It is impossible to determine the exact amounts of fuel oil and diesel that were spilled. The figure most commonly quoted by both media and government sources is 70,000 US gallons (260 m3). The US Fish and Wildlife Service has noted that some estimates ranged from 25,000 to 140,000 US gallons (95 to 530 m3).
- ^ a b Review Committee; M. Lehman-Chair; et al. (April 2000). New Carissa: Report and Recommendations to the Governor of the State of Oregon (PDF) (Report). Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2006. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
- ^ a b c Michel, Jacqueline (17 March 2000). Interim Preassessment Report, M/V New Carissa Oil Spill, Coos Bay and Waldport, Oregon (PDF) (Report). US Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 21 November 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f Hall, Michael; Wyland, Jacqueline. "Crisis on the Coast: The Grounding of the M/V New Carissa" (PDF). Proceedings Magazine. Coast Guard's Marine Safety and Environmental Protection Directorate. p. 20. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ "Bow of New Carissa Sinks to Resting Site" (Press release). New Carissa joint information center. 11 March 1999. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Wreck of the New Carissa" (PDF). Land and Waterway Management. Oregon Department of State Lands. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ "$50 million in damages sought over grounding of New Carissa". The Associated Press. 28 August 2002. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d "State Determined to Remove New Carissa". Associated Press. 15 August 2006. Retrieved 15 June 2006.
- ^ a b c d Guzman, Jolene (3 June 2008). "Titan moves barge into place next to New Carissa". The World (Coos Bay, Oregon). Retrieved 31 July 2006.
- ^ a b Carl Mickelson (10 January 2007). "New Carissa will remain beached for another year". The World (Coos Bay, Oregon).
- ^ "The New Carissa – Q & A" (PDF). Oregon Department of State Lands. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ^ Guzman, Jolene (31 July 2008). "It's come full circle". The World (Coos Bay, Oregon). Retrieved 31 July 2006.
- ^ "Waves help shift the New Carissa". The World (Coos Bay, Oregon). 31 July 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2006.
- ^ Guzman, Jolene (29 July 2008). "General Chaos". The World (Coos Bay, Oregon). Retrieved 31 July 2006.
- ^ Banse, Tom (25 August 2008). "New Carissa Going... Going... Not Quite Gone". OPB News. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
- ^ "The Wreck of the New Carissa: Information Updates". Oregon Department of State Lands. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ^ McCall, William (23 May 2006). "Land board settles New Carissa shipwreck cleanup for $22 million". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2007. Retrieved 30 March 2007.
- ^ a b O'Neill, Patrick (24 May 2006). "Channel cleared for New Carissa's last trip". The Oregonian. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
- ^ "Beach cleanup: The New Carissa must go". The Oregonian. 28 May 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2006.
- ^ "Oil spills and near-misses in Northwest waters". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 21 November 2002.
- ^ "U.S. Directory of Operable Petroleum Refineries" (PDF). Energy Information Administration. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2006.
- ^ The New Carissa Damage Assessment Restoration Plan "Q&A" (PDF) (Report). US Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2006. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
- ^ Merems, Arlene (15 September 1999). Morgue species count update (memorandum) (PDF) (Report). Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
- ^ Skrabis, Kristin E. (2 May 2006). Resource Equivalency Analysis for Western Snowy Plover (PDF) (Report). US Department of the Interior. Retrieved 10 June 2006.
- ^ a b "Oil Skimmer Oregon Responder Does Not Find Oil After Bow of New Carissa Sinks" (Press release). New Carissa joint information center. 12 March 1999. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
- ^ "New Carissa Midway to Final Resting Place" (Press release). New Carissa joint information center. 9 March 1999. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
- ^ "The Wreck of the New Carissa timeline". Land and Waterway Management. Oregon Department of State Lands. Archived from the original on 17 August 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2006.
- ^ "U.S. agrees on New Carissa settlement". Associated Press. 10 June 2004. Archived from the original on 20 June 2004. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Bishop, Bill (13 November 2002). "State claims Carissa's anchoring flawed". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 1D, 5D. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ a b
Saphara Harrell (6 June 2017). "County Circuit Court judge Richard Barron to retire". The World. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ "State Land Board approves settlement to remove wreckage of New Carissa" (Press release). Oregon Department of State Lands. 23 May 2006. Archived from the original on 17 August 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2006.
- ^ "A 1999 Cargo Disaster (A Maritime Saga): The Loss Of M/V New Carissa". The Cargo Letter. October 2001. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
- ^ Rumler, John (11 March 1999). "The Sailors Behind the Shipwreck". AsianWeek. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 13 June 2006.
- ^ Lockwood, Commander Christopher K. (16 September 1999). Investigation Into the Circumstances Surrounding the Grounding of the Motor Vessel NEW CARISSA, Lloyd's Number L8716136, off Coos Bay, Oregon, on 04 February 1999, with Major Pollution and No Personal Injuries or Loss of Life (Report). Investigation Report to Commandant, US Coast Guard [G-MOA]. U.S. Coast Guard.
References
- Newport Internet New Carissa coverage, with original press releases
- Official NOAA website
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: New Carissa Review Committee
- OregonLive.com coverage
- Oregon Fish & Wildlife Department, Key Information on the New Carissa Oil Spill Final Restoration Plan
- Oregon Department of State Lands coverage of the site
- [1]
External links
- Spinreel.com: The Shipwreck of the New Carissa
- Greif, Steve. "New Carissa". The Oregon Encyclopedia.
- Ship Structure Committee: Case Study I: New Carissa, hull failure analysis
- Satellite image from Google Maps