Coast Guard: Boston tugboat responsible for Cape Cod oil spill

The Ocean King was deemed responsible for a Jan. 21, 2018 oil spill at Woods Hole. (U.S. Coast Guard)

FALMOUTH -- Following an investigation, the U.S. Coast Guard has identified the vessel responsible for a Jan. 21 Cape Cod oil spill that killed 29 seabirds.

The Ocean King, a tugboat owned by the Boston-based Patriot Marine, was deemed the responsible party for the incident that left a large petroleum sheen in Great Harbor near the Woods Hole Aquarium, officials said Tuesday.

Patriot Marine was ordered to pay the cost of the cleanup and response, and may be responsible for additional penalties. At a Jan. 25 community forum, members of the public suggested the Ocean King was behind the spill, according to the Falmouth Enterprise.

The spill, determined to be equal parts diesel and engine oil, was contained with booms and absorbent materials. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection responded to the scene.

The marine assistance provider Sea Tow, hired for the cleanup, will be paid from the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which is funded by a tax on crude oil imports, according to the Martha's Vineyard Times. The money will be recouped from Patriot Marine.

The Ocean King, with its home port of Boston, is a 95-foot tugboat built in 1950, and was not towing anything around the time of the spill, reports the Cape Cod Times.

Officials said they did not believe the spill would cause long-term damage.

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