CORPUS CHRISTI CATASTROPHE: CASE OF A CLASSIC CLEANUP1

Abstract

ABSTRACT At 10:50 p.m. on July 13, 1988, the 800-foot, 107,776 dwt Singapore-flag motor tankship Nord Pacific, loaded with 625,000 barrels of Beatrice (North Sea) crude, sustained hull damage while docking at No. 3 dock of the Southwestern Refinery in the Corpus Christi, Texas, inner harbor. The impact opened an 8 ft by 1 ft gash in No. 6 port wing tank 1 ft above the waterline, spilling 15,350 barrels of crude oil into the harbor over a one-hour period before the tank could be pumped down. The cleanup that followed was a textbook case in which everything went right. The relative ease and rapidity of cleanup are attributed to favorable geography, weather, accessibility, fast response, and luck. The amount of spilled oil recovered amounted to 11,344 bbls, a recovery rate of almost 74 percent. All free-floating oil in the harbor was recovered in 2½ days. The majority of shoreside cleanup, including two affected marsh areas, was completed one week after the spill. Minor mop-up to conclude the cleanup continued for three days after. The Corpus Christi inner harbor was closed for 2½ days during the spill, with daylight one-way traffic commencing Saturday, July 16. Regular traffic resumed Monday morning, July 18. Environmental impact was minimal, with very little wildlife affected. Permanent repairs were made to the Nord Pacific and she sailed for Venezuela on July 21, 1988.