168-2001 LTC CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Mana er
Letter to Commission No.
To: Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin Date: July 17, 2001
and Members of the City Commission
From: Jorge M. Gonzalez t~ o~""
City Manager tJ~
Subject: Oil Spill
The purpose of this LTC is to provide the Commission with an update regarding the oil spill
which occurred on Monday, July 16, 2001 at approximately 1:30 P.M.
The vessel "Argentinean Reefer" leaked approximately 700 to 1000 gallons of a yet
unidentified oil type product one and a half miles East of the entrance to Government Cut.
The U.S. Coast Guard investigated the release and reported that the oil product was
moving to the North - North East direction due to the prevailing winds from the South
West. The owner of the vessel is working on a clean-up plan with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Essentially the U.S. Coast Guard takes the position that the vessel owner is responsible for
developing a clean-up plan approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
In this particular case, the 700-1000 gallons of the oil product moved into waters that are
moving to the North. At this point, the product has become so diffused, that the clean-up
will be a "cosmetic" effort at best. The U.S. Coast Guard has samples of the oil product
and if there was a reversal of winds and tides, the resultant tar balls can be identified as
coming from this particular vessel, and the owner will be billed for the clean-up. The U.S.
Coast Guard does not expect the oil product to return to the shores of Miami Beach but will
continue to monitor the situation and keep us posted.
Should you have any questions or need any further information, please feel free to contact
me.
F:\CMGR\$ALL\LTC01 .OILSPILL
JMG/R~J