History Detail
Incident Name: Burmah Agate

Subject: USCG Case History

Incident Date: 11/1/1979

Incident Location: Galveston Bay, Texas

Author: USCG Case History

Latitude: 29 17.7 N

Longitude: 094 37.4 W

USCG District: 8

Product: Nigerian Crude, blended crude (high naphtha content)

Type: 4, 2

Volume: 254761

Source:Tank Vessel

RAR: Fine sand beaches, marshes.

Dispersants: No

Bioremediation: No

In-Situ Burning: Yes

Special Interest Topic(s): Logistical or operational problems, closure of shipping lanes or vehicle traffic routes, adverse weather conditions.

Shoreline Type(s) Impacted: Fine sand beaches, marshes.

Summary: On the morning of November 1, 1979, the Burmah Agate and the Mimosa collided at the entrance to Galveston Harbor. The Mimosa struck the Burmah Agate on its starboard side, tearing an 8 by 15 foot hole in the hull near Cargo Tank No. 5. An explosion occurred upon impact, and the leaking oil ignited. The USCG immediately dispatched the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant to begin search and rescue operations. By 1230 all 26 crew members of the Mimosa had been found, but only 6 of the Burmah Agate's 37 crew members were accounted for. The owners of the Burmah Agate assumed responsibility for the spill response. They contracted Clean Water, Inc. for cleanup operations, and Smit International Inc. to fight fires on the Burmah Agate, and to assist in salvage. The Burmah Agate burned until January 8, 1980 and was towed to Brownsville, Texas on February 1 for scrapping.

Behavior: Booms and skimmers were deployed to protect beaches. Seasonal winds kept most of the oil offshore, however, heavy concentrations of oil washed ashore at Galveston and San Jose Island. Lighter concentrations of oil impacted Padre Island and the Bolivar Peninsula. Oil came ashore on November 5 at Galveston Jetties and East Beach, and cleanup began immediately. Oil impacted the Matagorda Peninsula on November 6. On November 9, six barrels of oil impacted 437 yards of marshes and sand beaches around Smith Point and five areas on Galveston Island. The Smith Point area was the only inland area impacted by oil. The marsh areas were not cleaned up because response efforts could have caused greater damage than the oiling. Boom was deployed in the San Luis Pass area and there was an attempt to deploy a Marco skimmer in that area. A crane from Galveston was necessary to deploy the skimmer. By November 12, a slick composed of sheen and mousse in windrows extended 8.5 miles WSW of the tanker. Oil in the form of small tarballs impacted Padre Island near Mansfield Pass on November 13. Approximately eight barrels of oil came ashore at Padre Island where no cleanup was done. Heavy concentrations of oil impacted Galveston beaches on November 18. The heaviest impacts of oil occurred near Jamaica Beach November 19-21. On November 24, Jamaica Beach was cleaned with Vacalls. Streamers were observed near Bolivar Peninsula on November 27. Most of the oil burned in the ship or in the water near the ship, however by December 7, a 19 mile long slick extended to the SSW of the tanker. Most of the oil spilled from the tanker was blended crude with the remainder the heavier Nigerian crude. Thirty-eight per cent of the oil carried by the Burmah Agate was recovered through lightering operations. Of the remaining oil, an estimated 1.7 per cent was picked up by skimmers, .5 per cent impacted beaches, 48 per cent burned, and 12 per cent dispersed offshore. Ultimately, 2,100 barrels impacted various beaches and marshes.

Countermeasures/Mitigation: The G & H Towing Company tugs The Judge, Carol Hayden, and R.C. Hayden fought the fire under the direction of the Commanding Officer of the USCGC Valiant until Smit International, Inc. personnel arrived. The G & H tugs were not manned by trained firefighters, and they had a tendency to leave effective fire fighting positions when explosions occurred aboard the tanker. The G & H tugs continued under the direction of Smit International, Inc. personnel until better vessels were procured.\\On November 2, the GST arrived with 612 feet of Open Water Oil Containment and Recovery System (OWOCRS) and two Air-Deliverable Anti-Pollution Transfer Systems (ADAPTS) . Western Marine provided boats for the deployment of the GST’s equipment. The shipping lanes into Galveston were closed in both directions for a short time on the first day of the incident, and again on November 5 while the Mimosa was towed to Galveston. Subsequently, the outgoing lanes were opened.\GST personnel worked through the night and into the morning of November 3 to deploy a boom astern of the tanker. In the early evening of November 3, nine firefighters from the Netherlands arrived with additional equipment. Various problems occurred during the evening of November 3; kinks in the boom, no boom lights, and a boom line fouled the prop of a deployment vessel. The Dutch tug Jacob Van Heemskerk was on-scene in the morning of November 4, and began applying water to the Burmah Agate. \\In the early morning of November 5, more explosions aboard the Burmah Agate opened several starboard and center tanks. The On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) and acting Captain of the Port (COTP) contacted the U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage (NAVSUPSALV) to bring in booms and skimmers with personnel to operate them.\\On November 7, the Linda Partain arrived on-scene to fight fires along with the Jacob Van Heemskerk and the Seaspan Raider. Goodyear boom was deployed astern of the Burmah Agate. On November 8, only the Linda Partain remained alongside the tanker, applying water to the forward tanks to cool them. The other two tugs had moved away due to explosions. Vessels continued to deploy the Goodyear boom near the Burmah Agate. On November 10, 2,000 feet of Goodyear boom was deployed north of the Burmah Agate to protect the Galveston Channel and Bolivar Peninsula. Booming of the San Luis Pass area was completed with the deployment of 4,000 feet of boom. Oil entrainment was discovered under the booms astern of the tanker.\\On November 11, a Marco Class V skimmer was deployed to back up the boom under which oil had entrained. The boom to the north of the tanker was damaged by a response vessel during the night of November 11, and was replaced. It was damaged again on November 12, and on November 16. Another portside tank exploded, and burning oil hit the booms and set them on fire. A Lockheed skimmer Open Water Oil Recovery System (OWORS) was deployed but one of its flotations was punctured, and was removed for repairs. On November 13, two OWOCRS were deployed. The boom caught fire again on November 14.\\On November 17, the Bering Sea, with two Marco skimmers attached to outriggers, and the Midnight Flash, with the Lockheed skimmer attached to an outrigger, came on scene and began skimming operations.\\By November 21, there were 400 people cleaning the beaches. Beach cleanup was done by manual removal of oiled sand, which was loaded into dump trucks by front-end loaders. Loaders removed too much sand from the beaches and they were replaced with vacuum trucks. Cleanup of beaches was complete by November 27.\\On January 8, the fire was put out, and deployment of 4000 feet of Goodyear boom and OWOCRS began in anticipation of lightering efforts. There was a delay in offloading operations because the owners of the Burmah Agate were slow to award a contract. The lightering began on January 17 and continued until February 3. Approximately 160,000 barrels of crude oil were recovered by lightering operations.

Other Special Interest(s): On November 22, adverse weather prevented fire fighting and deployment of skimmers, and from November 28 to 29 bad weather prevented all cleanup operations.\\On December 5, the OSC requested the Pilots Association to meet ships 4 miles farther out to sea than the Burmah Agate. as the OSC felt that ships were passing too close to the containment and recovery gear. On December 17 a foreign vessel anchored near the Burmah Agate and carried away the Goodyear booms as it dragged anchor. The boom was re-deployed the next day.\\Through the duration of the response, four skimming barriers (OWOCRS) and one Lockheed skimmer (OWORS) were used. Heavy seas (typical of winter weather in the area) hindered booming and oil recovery efforts. Oil began to entrain under the OWOCRS when the current reached .75 knots, and once the current reached 1 knot the OWOCRS were totally useless. Furthermore, the OWOCRS were only useful in a stationary configuration, and could not be maneuvered effectively to follow a moving slick. Problems also arose due to the constant replacement of vessels in the OWOCRS configuration. Eleven vessels were rotated through deployment and maintenance of the OWOCRS. This rotation was caused by short-term contracting of vessels by the owners of the Burmah Agate. While problematic, the rotation of various types of vessels did illuminate the characteristics of a vessel best suited for OWOCRS deployment and maintenance. These characteristics were: seaworthiness (which the crew boats did not have due to their small size), large work area astern, maneuverability (twin-screw, bow-thruster equipped boats worked the best), onboard tank space, open stern close to the water, and adequate power. Of all the vessels used, a large offshore supply vessel worked the best. Deployment of booms and skimmers around the burning tanker before the fire was extinguished resulted in the ignition and subsequent loss of 4000 feet of Goodyear boom and one OWOCRS. The Marco Class V skimmer proved to be the most effective skimmer.\\The Lockheed skimmer (OWORS) broke down and spare parts were not readily available. This made on-site repair of the OWORS impossible. Furthermore, the deployment of the OWORS in conjunction with the OWOCRS was difficult. When attached to an outrigger on a vessel, the OWORS did have partial success in recovering oil.\\Staging areas for response vessels and storing areas for USCG and NAVSUPSALV equipment were difficult to find. The OSC finally rented a dock from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, however the OSC had to arrange for the docking of the Army dredge Gerig once it returned to port.

References: •Kana, T., Pavia, R., Thompson, E. 1981. Burmah Agate - Chronology and Containment Operations., Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1981. pp.131-139. •USCG On-Scene Coordinator's Final Report

Last Edit: 9/18/92