Crews responded to a marine oil spill in New Bedford Harbor on New Year's Day.

The New Bedford Fire Department responded to an oil spill from a leaking fishing vessel. Video from the scene by photographer Ed Pepin shows crews lowering a bright orange near-shore boom into the harbor and vessels towing and deploying the boom to contain the spill.

Details about the extent of the spill were not immediately available over the weekend.

Courtesy Ed Pepin
Courtesy Ed Pepin
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The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection prepares for marine oil spills by placing equipment trailers in local communities. The agency trains local officials to use the equipment and protect sensitive areas. On Friday, the fire department’s MassDEP Oil Spill Prevention & Response trailer was on the scene.

The U.S. Coast Guard is in charge of the overall strategy for a coordinated federal, state and local response to discharges of oil or hazardous substances from a vessel, offshore facility, or onshore facility into the area's marine waters.

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