Approximately 3 am, Friday December 21, 2007, the Dredge MacFarland, while docked at Ft Mifflin, discharged between 291 and 500 gallons of diesel fuel oil. The oil was captured in a basin off of the Delaware River and held there. The Dredge MacFarland is owned and operated by the Army Corps of Engineers and is used to conduct dredging operations on the Delaware River.
The spill occurred during an internal transfer of fuel and was said to result from equipment failure. As of DRN investigations this morning the area has been boomed off and no oil is being found outside of the booms or in the River.
The Coast Guard and other emergency responders, including Philadelphia Fire HazMat, are on site.