BOURNE, Mass. (AP) – Hundreds of additional workers cleaned up Saturday at areas fouled by oil along the shore of Buzzards Bay, the Coast Guard said.
About 600 cleanup workers were to be at work by the end of Saturday and 700 by day’s end on Sunday, said Petty Officer Keith Alholm.
A barge carrying No. 6 fuel oil spilled 14,700 gallons in the accident, which was reported on Sunday, April 27.
The cause of the spill from a barge owned by Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. of Hicksville, N.Y. is being investigated.
Cleanup efforts have been undertaken both on the water and on shore. A total of 3,200 gallons of oil have been vacuumed up by recovery vessels, while 535 cubic yards of solid oil waste have been collected.
Fifty-two birds have been reported killed. Fifty-four birds are being rehabilitated, Alholm said Saturday.
State shellfish experts have said that cold water and other favorable seasonal conditions may help the bay’s shellfishing industry, which has been shut down, to avoid catastrophe.
Cleanup efforts are focused on the 40 miles of shoreline in Buzzards Bay that have been affected by the oil, Alholm said. Bouchard Transportation has hired cleanup companies and their work is coordinated by the Coast Guard.
Alholm said people who find shore areas fouled by oil should not attempt to clean it up themselves. He said they should report it to the Coast Guard at 508-968-6659.
People who find fouled birds should call the citizens’ group, The Coalition for Buzzards Bay, at 508-999-6363, ext. 207, he said.
AP-ES-05-03-03 1634EDT
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