SeaPort Manatee oil spill cost $1.2 million to clean up, but the culprit was never found

Jesse Mendoza, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
File art of U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg crews cleaning up an oil spill at Seaport Manatee this month.
File art of U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg crews cleaning up an oil spill at Seaport Manatee this month.

The U.S. Coast Guard spent $1.17 million to clean up and investigate the source of an oil spill at SeaPort Manatee only to come up empty handed.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg investigators have searched for the source of spilled oil found at SeaPort Manatee since it was found Aug. 31, but announced Friday that the search is now suspended. Crews cleaned up about 20,500 gallons of oil and water mixture and 6.4 tons of oily debris.

The effort was paid for with funds from the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, but the responsible party would be required to repay the cost of the cleanup and any other legal penalties if one is ever found.

Previously: Source of oil spill at Port Manatee remains a mystery, officials want accountability

More: Oil spill reported at Port Manatee, with 19,100 gallons of oil and water mixture cleaned up

“I am pleased that we were able to quickly isolate the spilled material within the port to mitigate impacts to the environment while enabling a focused response and rapid clean-up,” said Capt. Michael Kahle, Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg commander. “Our investigators worked tirelessly in search of the spill source and the responsible party."

Manatee County commissioners make up the seven-member Manatee County Port Authority Board.

District 1 Commissioner James Satcher replaced At-Large Commissioner George Kruse as chairman of the port authority on Sept. 13, after other commissioners cried foul over the lack of communication from the port during the initial days of the incident. Satcher lobbied for the port to be located within his district during redistricting efforts in 2021.

“On behalf of the Manatee County Port Authority, I wish to express my appreciation to the U.S. Coast Guard for its tireless efforts in cleaning up and investigating the recent event at the port,” Satcher said in a press release. “While it is disappointing that the investigation could not pinpoint the origin of the material, we are reassured in our proactive response efforts and pleased to learn that it was not identified as coming from a Seaport Manatee-related source.”

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: No culprit found: SeaPort Manatee oil spill investigation suspended