Port of Nome LCM Kaktovik II Diesel Release

Location: Port of Nome channel Nome, Alaska
Time/Date: 6:00 a.m. on September 10, 2011
Spill Id: 11389925301
Product/ Quantity: Approximately 800 – 1,000 gallons of Arctic Diesel Fuel #2 fuel were released to the environment.
Cause: The landing craft Kaktovik II was attempting to retrieve a beached barge when strong winds and waves turned the vessel broadside causing a line to go slack and into the propeller, rendering the vessel without propulsion. The LCM Kaktovik II drifted east along the beach toward the harbor entrance and wound up broadside on the armor rocks of the channel. The vessel grounded on rocks causing a tear on the port-side stern, which ruptured the port fuel tank and releasing approximately 800-1,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the ocean.