Oil Spill Clean Ups Begin in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy's Destruction

Not only has hurricane Sandy halted everyday life for large swathes of the US, causing floods, fires, and massive amounts of property damage; it has also caused several oil spills around the country.

As Sandy hit on Monday, a storage tank at a facility owned by Motiva Enterprises LLC, a joint venture between Shell and Saudi Refining Inc., ruptured releasing nearly diesel into the New Jersey waterway.

Workers at the storage facility were last night in the process of using a vacuum truck to try and suck up the contaminated water, however the size of the spill has been described as significant, and one that will take many months to clean up.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  (NOAA) 8,300 barrels of diesel and bio diesel was spilt as the tank ruptured.

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The US Coast Guard, in its efforts to clean up after Sandy’s passing, has requested help from scientific institutions such as the NOAA in dealing with three separate oil spills.

Motiva, the owner of the facility, has faced pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency before, when back in 2001 an explosion at their refinery released over one million gallons of sulphuric acid.

By. Joao Peixe of Oilprice.com