NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE (3/16/2015) Oil that spilled from a cargo ship at the Port of Wilmington last week has spread to the shoreline at New Castle, state environmental officials reported today.
The oil washed ashore at Battery Park on Sunday, extending to 1,500 feet of shoreline at Battery Park as well as smaller sections north and south of the park, said Michael Globetti, spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
He said DNREC emergency response crews and the Coast Guard are overseeing the cleanup today by environmental contractors.
The oil came from a spill that occurred March 9, when the Wild Cosmos released oil from its deck into the Christina River. DNREC’s crews also are at the port in conjunction with the Coast Guard in overseeing removal of oil there from pilings and piers, Globetti said.
The cleanup is expected to continue through the day at New Castle, with workers raking oil from the shoreline and removing oil-soaked debris that washed ashore, he said.