Watch CBS News

Tug Boat May Have Spilled 300 Gallons Of Gear Oil In Buzzards Bay

BOURNE (CBS) — Environmental officials are still trying to determine how much damage, if any, has been done to the water in Buzzards Bay, after a tugboat ran aground early Friday morning, spilling as much as 300 gallons of gear lubricant into the ocean.

"We don't know how much is out there, " said Coast Guard Petty Officer Rob Simpson,"but 350 gallons has been removed from the boat which leaves about 300 unaccounted for."

The tugboat Justice had gone through the Cape Cod Canal at about midnight, and was heading southwest, when it veered out of the marked channel, and hit a ledge off of Wareham. One of the boat propulsion systems was sheared off which created the gear oil leak.

As required by law, the captain was given drug and alcohol tests. The alcohol test came back negative. The results of the drug test will come back in a few days.

Emergency response teams spread out over Buzzards Bay in boats pulling orange booms, to pick up the lubricant but it's not known how much they actually got.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.