Crews Respond to Diesel Spill in New Bedford Harbor

The New Bedford Fire Department installed booms this morning to contain a diesel spill reported in New Bedford Harbor near Blue Harvest Fisheries just north of the Rt. 6 bridge.

At around 8:30 a.m., Fairhaven Harbormaster Timothy Cox told WBSM the New Bedford Fire Department and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection were on scene and that the Coast Guard was on its way. He said the size and extent of the spill had yet to be determined. Cox said it was his understanding the spill originated with a Blue Harvest fisheries vessel.

A Coast Guard investigator was headed to the site, confirmed Amanda Wyrick, a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston. Wyrick emphasized that it's a diesel spill and not an oil spill.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), when diesel fuel is spilled in open water and unconfined, it tends to evaporate or naturally disperse within a few days or less. However, diesel is one of the most acutely toxic oil types and can harm or kill birds, fish, and invertebrates that come into direct contact with it, NOAA states.

We'll provide more information as it becomes available. WBSM has reached out to Blue Harvest Fisheries.