The U.S. Coast Guard has completed an on-water oil cleanup and recovery operation after fluid was found leaking at Shell Martinez Wharf, Lt. Commander Rhianna Macon, deputy incident commander, said.
Macon works at the Coast Guard Sector San Francisco and Unified Command. She said the Coast Guard also analyzed the operation and continue to monitor the water, but have found no indication that the spill impacted either the shoreline or wildlife.
Nor has it affected the Martinez Marina or the nearby marsh, she said.
“We are very pleased to report no impact to the shoreline or wildlife, and appreciate the time it takes to make a thorough assessment,” Todd Ajari, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s deputy incident commander, said. “Protecting the environment has been a key objective of this response from the very start.”
An absorbent boom used during the cleanup is being removed, Macon said. Besides the boom, the Coast Guard used skimmers and deployed a helicopter for aerial inspections, both to deal with the spill as well as a precaution against any other impact, she said.
“This has been a robust response with outstanding cooperation,” she said. “Now that the external response and recovery phase is complete, the public can expect to see much less activity along the water.”
She said Shell would receive federal and state oversight as it returns to regular refinery operations.
Dennis Lines, deputy incident commander at Shell Martinez Refinery, said residents and the refinery’s neighbors have been patient during the comprehensive response to the spill.
“The safety focus has been to the high standard that the community demands and deserves,” he said.
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