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Report - Situation

VESSEL STATUS: 8.19.84 M/V ALVENUS DEPARTED SITE OF GROUNDING, TOWED STERN FIRST TO
MINIMIZE FURTHER STRESS TO DAMAGED BOW SECTION.  8.20.84 VESSEL ARRIVED GALVESTON
ANCHORAGE APPROX. 1000.  NO SHEEN OBSERVED.  DIVER SURVEY REPORTED NO CHANGE IN DAMAGED
HULL SECTION.  ALVENUS TOWED TO TODD SHIPYARD ON PELICAN ISLAND (2000) WHERE IT WILL
REMAIN BERTHED UNTIL DRY DOCK FACILiTIES ARE AVAILAABLE ON 9.5.84.  BEACH IMPACT AND
CLEANUP STATUS:   HYDRO/SAND BLASTING OF GALVESTON SEAWALL WHICH BEGAN 8.16.84 CONTINUES
AT THE RATE OF APPROX. 600 FT PER DAY.  IT IS ESTIMATED IT WILL TAKE 3 MONTHS TO COMPLETE
CLEANING THE SEAWALL.   CLEANUP OF OIL ON WEST BEACHES CONTINUES.  95% OF MODERATE TO
HEAVILY OILED SAND HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM BEACH FROM BETWEEN SEA ISLE AND JAMAICA BEACH.
CONTRACTOR CONTINUES TO TEST DIFFERENT EQUIPMENT TO REMOVE SUBTIDAL POOLS OF OIL LOCATED
IN NEARSHORE AREA OF IMPACTED BEACHES.  TESTING OF A SLUDGE PUMP UTILIZING A TELESCOPING
BOOM FROM THE BEACH PROVED CAPABLE OF REMOVING THE SUBMERGED OIL BUT EXHIBITED SOME
CONTROL PROBLEMS.  BY THE TIME THESE CONTROL PROBLEMS HAD BEEN WORKED OUT, OIL WAS NO
LONGER FREE ON THE SURFACE SEDIMENT BUT HAD BECOME BURIED AND WAS NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE
SLUDGE PUMP IN LARGE ENOUGH QUANTITIES TO MAKE IT PRACTICAL.   THE DIVER SURVEY FOR OIL
FROM THE SEAWALL OUT 1200 FEET COMPLETED 8.19.84 SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT QUANTITIES OF OIL
IN THE NEARSHORE REGION BEYOND THE FIRST SAND BAR.  THE DIVING SURVEY AGREED WITH THE NOAA
BEACH TRANSETS IN FINDING A SMALL QUANTITY OF TARBALLS AND BURIED OIL PRESENT IN THE
TROUGH BETWEEN THE FIRST SAND BAR AND THE WATERLINE.  THESE PATCHES OF TARBALLS AND BURIED
OIL ARE PRIMARILY FOUND ALONG THE MORE HEAVILY IMPACTED WEST BEACHES (INDIAN, PIRATES, AND
GALVESTON STATE PARK) AND OFF SECTIONS OF THE SEAWALL WEST OF 47TH ST.  THERE IS AN
ESTIMATED 150 TONS OF OIL CONTAINED IN THIS NEARSHORE AREA.  BEACH PROFILE TRANSEECTS
CONDUCTED ON THH WEST BEACHES INDICATE A SHIFT OF THE OIL/SAND/SEDIMENT FROM THE NEARSHORE
BOTTOM TOWARD THE BEACHES.  THIS ACTION IS BEING ENHANCED BY THE SPRING TIDE EFFECT WHICH
WILL REACH ITS MAXIMUM LATER THIS WEEK.  IT IS PREDICTED THAT AS MUCH AS 2/3 OF THE 150
TONS OF BURIED OIL MAY BE REWORKED DURING THIS CYCLE OF SPRING TIDES AND 'KICKED UP' ON
THE BEACH WHERE IT CAN BE REMOVED.   IN AN 8.20.84 MEETING OF THE OSC/OWNERS/P&I CLUB, THE
OWNERS AND P&I CLUB INDICATED THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
CLEANUP OPERATION ON GALVESTON ISLAND.  NOAA ACTIVITIES:  1. PREPARED 'LATERAL SURVEY OF
OIL BURIED IN NEARSHORE AREA OF GALVESTON  ISLAND' FOR OSC. 2. CONTINUED BEACH PROFILE
SURVEY. 3. WORKED WITH OWNERS TECHNICAL REP IN PREPARATION OF DISPERSANT TEST PROPOSAL
FOR GALVESTON SEAWALL. 4. PARTICIPATED IN MEETING BETWEEN OSC AND OWNERS/P&I CLUB TO
DISCUSS  CLEANUP OPERATION PROGRESS AND FUTURE PLANS. 5. PREPARED 'COMPARATIVE BEACH
PROFILE OF GALVESTON STATE PARK BEACH' FOR OSC  TO EXPLAIN BEACH PROCESSES WORKING ON
NEARSHORE BURIED OIL. 6. PROVIDED DAILY NOAA WEATHER REPORTS TO CONTRACTORS FOR PLANNING
NEXT DAY'S  OPERATIONS. 7. PREPARED REPORT ON 'SAND AND OIL REMOVED FROM GALVESTON ISLAND
BEACHES  DURING CLEANUP' FOR OSC. NOAA PERSONNEL ON SCENE:  SHARON CHRISTOPHERSON TODD
BAXTER (ARRVD 8.20.84) ERICH GUNDLACH, RPI MIKE VOGEL, RPI MARK WILLIAMS, RPI (ARRVD
8.20.84)  ANNE ROONEY DEPARTED 8.17.84