A minor fuel spill occurred in the Vineyard Haven Harbor on Thursday morning, near Lagoon Pond Bridge, reports Tisbury harbormaster John Crocker.
Crocker says the spill has been contained, and has since dissipated.
The harbormaster says that he first heard of the incident at around 9:20 on Thursday morning. He said that he believes the spill came from Tisbury Towing and Transportation, and that they contained the spill by surrounding the area with absorbent material.
Crocker visited the site of the spill this morning and says he is no longer concerned. “It’s over,” he told The Times. “There doesn’t seem to be any more fuel in the water. I don’t see a sheen out there. I just walked the beach, and didn’t see any residue from fuel on the beach. There is a little bit of a smell, and the smell is caused by the fuel evaporating.”
While Crocker says this spill was quickly dealt with, he does say that spills don’t happen often in the harbor. “It’s a pretty rare incident — it has happened in the past. When you’re dealing with lots of boats and different things that you fuel, sometimes you get a little bit of fuel in the water.”
Tisbury Towing & Transportation Co. did not immediately respond for comment.