Barge Grounded Off Rhode Island Spills 720,000 Gallons of Heating Oil

A barge carrying 4 million gallons of heating oil leaked about 720,000 gallons near a wildlife refuge area Saturday, a day after it ran aground in a storm.

Thousands of lobsters and several dozen birds were killed along Rhode Island’s southern coast. Other birds were seen covered with oil, and shell-fishing was banned.

The spill is the worst in state history.

The barge stopped just off Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, midway along eight saltwater ponds that are breeding grounds for fish and migration stops for millions of waterfowl.

Earlier Saturday, officials had surmised that a relatively small amount of oil leaked from the 340-foot barge.

Arnold Witte, who is heading the salvage operation, said at a news conference with the Coast Guard, state authorities and officials from the Environmental Protection Agency that less oil leaked during high tide because water, which is heavier than heating oil, acted as a seal to keep oil in the ruptured compartments of the barge.

Work crews plan to pump the remaining oil from the barge, the North Cape, into another one and set it afloat again Monday.

Coast Guard pollution control teams were using booms to prevent the oil from spreading onto the beach. They also were using a special skimming system to remove oil from the water surface.