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Irene's Challenge SpillIrene's Challenge SpillPacific Ocean, 50 miles north of the Hawaiian Islands 01/17/77 Incident Summary On January 17, 1977, the 640-foot tank vessel Irene's Challenge broke into two pieces approximately 200 miles south of Midway Island and 50 miles north of Lisianski Island, Hawaii. The deck plates of the vessel failed due to the stress incurred by several days of rough seas. Twenty-eight of the thirty-one crewmen were picked up by the Pacific Arrow. The three remaining crew members were not found. The Regional Response Team (RRT) and Science Advisory Group (SAG) agreed that the best option in dealing with the damaged vessel was to attempt to tow the two sections away from the Hawaiian islands, and sink them. The U.S. Coast Guard cutters Mallow and Jarvis were diverted to the scene for towing operations. The sections were approximately 70 miles apart when the two cutters arrived at the stern section. Since crew members were unable to board or tow the stern section due to rough seas, the Mallow continued on toward the bow section. The stern section of the tanker presumably sank at approximately 26 55 N and 172 30 W. By January 21, the bow section had only 25 feet of freeboard. Visual observations estimated the sinking bow section was settling at a rate of 20 inches per hour. The bow section sank of its own accord. The two cutters remained on-scene until January 22 to observe oil conditions. Behavior of Oil Personnel on an early morning overflight on January 18 reported the slick to be 2 miles long. Participants on a later C-130 overflight reported the slick to be 4-5 miles in length and drifting to the west. On January 19, leaking oil had created a slick 15 by 17 nautical miles which was drifting to the east, away from the Hawaiian Islands. Oil storage tanks in the bow section appeared to be intact until the bow sank. Oil released from the stern section on January 20 was not as heavy as observed earlier, and was dissipating rapidly. Although the spill area was surrounded by three ecologically important wildlife refuges, favorable southwest winds prevented any shoreline oiling. On January 21 a 20 mile by 5 mile slick was observed near the position of the sunken stern. North of the main slick, a lighter, triangular shaped slick extended to the west. Seabirds were spotted between, but not within the two oil slicks. No residual oil was observed surfacing after January 22. The slick was dissipating rapidly from wind and wave action. The vessel sank in 2700 fathoms of water. At this depth, the oil was presumed to have congealed due to the low temperature (1-2°C). Any oil released from the sunken sections was expected to disperse before reaching the surface. By January 27, the oil slick consisted of light streaks covering a 4 mile by 1/2 mile area. Countermeasures and Mitigation Since the two sections sank quickly, a towing operation was not attempted. Questions were raised concerning the feasibility of towing the partially submerged sections of the vessel. The resulting slick and surfacing oil was observed and tracked by the Coast Guard for ten days. Dispersant use was recommended in the event of any oil impacting the shoreline. The natural dispersion of the oil by wave action negated dispersant use. High Seas Oil Containment Barrier was transported from San Francisco to Honolulu for possible deployment on USCG Cutter Buttonwood, but was not used. Other Special Interest Issues The incident occurred 57 miles from U.S. coastline, which is outside the area of U.S. jurisdiction for action and reimbursement. Due to the location of the incident, the Intervention on the High Seas Act (33 USC 1471 et seq) was required. Section 1472 of this act allows the use of action when interests of the U.S. are threatened by pollution. Funding of the response was available through Section 1486 of the same act. References This content has been excerped from: Oil Spill Case Histories 1967-1991: Summaries of Significant U.S. and International Spills |
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