US Coast Guard Seals Leaking Pipe Behind Repeated San Juan Oil Spills

The US Coast Guard Sector San Juan is actively responding to and investigating an oil spill discovered in San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico, caused by an old, corroded pipeline structure found leaking between piers 2 and 3.

The leak was first noticed on April 11 during a routine patrol conducted by Station San Juan and Incident Management Division personnel. The patrol was part of Operation Resilient Coast, an effort aimed at protecting local waters.

While patrolling, the Coast Guard officials observed a slow but continuous release of thick black oil into the harbor from a legacy pipe system.

The incident was immediately reported to the National Response Center, leading to a full response from the Coast Guard’s Incident Management team.

Suspecting that the leaked oil could be related to previous unexplained spills in the same harbor, the response team collected oil samples for testing. These were sent to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Lab for analysis.

The Coast Guard activated the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and brought in Clean Harbor Environmental Services, Inc. as the official Oil Spill Removal Organisation.

On April 15, Clean Harbor crews managed to temporarily plug the leaking pipe and deployed absorbent containment booms around the affected area to control and capture the spilled oil.

Coast Guard personnel and Clean Harbor teams have since been monitoring and maintaining the site. This includes replacing absorbent materials and adjusting the boom placements regularly to ensure continued containment of the oil in the water.

On May 5, the Marine Safety Lab returned the analysis results. The oil samples collected at Piers 2 and 3 were found to have similar characteristics to the ones collected during mystery spills at Pier 9 in 2024 and Pier 4 in 2021.

This finding suggests a possible link between all three incidents, pointing toward a common petroleum oil source, possibly the same deteriorating infrastructure.

Despite the leak, port operations at Piers 2 and 3 have continued as normal, as the containment efforts have kept the situation under control. The Coast Guard stated that while the source has been temporarily contained, work is ongoing to fully resolve the issue and prevent any future pollution.

A senior official from the Coast Guard’s Incident Management Division stated that they are coordinating with several local and federal agencies, including the San Juan Municipality, the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, the Department of Transportation and Public Works, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and the Cultural Department.

These groups are working together to protect the public and the environment.

The Coast Guard is also planning to conduct a sub-surface site assessment to look for any hidden sources of oil. Based on those findings, they will develop strategies for cleaning up any remaining oil and reducing the chances of future leaks.

Throughout the response, the Coast Guard has been keeping all involved agencies informed, including the Caribbean Regional Response Team, as they continue their efforts to clean up the harbor and protect Puerto Rico’s marine environment from further damage.

Reference: USCG

Source: Maritime Shipping News