Environmental Damage
As a result of the impact, one of six containers of the pesticide pentachlorphenol (PCP) entered the water. In addition, a small undetermined quantity of ethyl mercaptan and a hydrobromic acid were released. Due to the hazardous pollution of the water by the PCP, the U.S. Coast Guard closed the MRGO to waterborne traffic until August 14, 1980, and mounted a major cleanup and recovery effort including, among others, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), and numerous State of Louisiana agencies and local authorities. The State of Louisiana Health Department established a "Health and Environmental Zone." (See figures 2 and 3.) Seventy-five inhabitants of the Shell Beach area were temporarily evacuated due to the fumes.
The September 12, 1980 "Hazardous Materials Intelligence Report (HMIR)" newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 18, reported:
Throughout the cleanup operation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) monitored PCP levels in shrimp, oysters, and fish in nearby lake Borgne, and the sediments and water column in both lake and the MRGO. Nancy Maynard, NOAA scientific support coordinator for the PCP spill, told HMIR that the PCP concentrations in the sediments, water column, and biota attained their maximum values at the time of the spill and again later during the vacuum recovery of PCP from the MRGO. Using chemical tracers and other techniques, NOAA determined that the turbulence from the vacuum operation had transported the PCP vertically to the surface waters and that tidal currents had distributed PCP laterally into Lake Borgne and the MRGO. Maynard said that the spill provided NOAA with a good opportunity to study the transport and fate of substances other than oil in the environment. According to Maynard, researchers have focused their modeling and monitoring activities on oil spills until recently, although hazardous material present many more difficulties than oil because of the unique physical and chemical properties of each material.
After the completion of the vacuum operation, the PCP levels in all areas dropped to less than 1 part per billion (ppb), Maynard said. She added that the cleanup crews recovered almost all of the spilled PCP and that a recent hurricane flushed out the MRGO and Lake Borgne and removed or dispersed any remaining chemical. Oyster samples from Lake Borgne had previously been found to contain high PCP levels, forcing state official to close the lake to fishing, but the organisms rapidly depurated themselves, Maynard said, and the lake was reopened.
Crew Information
The Seadaniel was manned by a crew of 33. The master and radio officer were British nationals, while the balance of the crew were Chinese. The Testbank was manned by a crew of 23 persons of mixed nationalities, predominantly German nationals. In addition, two passengers were aboard the Testbank. (See appendix B.)
