Tampa Bay oil spill assessment of oil contamination in John's Pass. Submitted January 31, 1995, revised February 24, 1995.

Abstract

In the early morning on August 10, 1993, approximately 1.2 million liters of Bunker C fuel oil spilled from the fuel tanker Bouchard 155 after it collided with the phosphate freighter Balsa 37 in a shipping channel at the entrance to Tampa Bay, Florida. The collision caused explosions, fire and a fuel oil spill from the Bouchard 155. The majority of the oil was carried out of Tampa Bay by winds and currents, but a significant amount was brought back to the Gulf beaches and estuarine habitats north of the mouth of Tampa Bay due to subsequent changes in the wind direction. This project was undertaken to assess the amount and distribution of oil remaining after ten months in mangrove and seagrass sediments, and in association with oyster beds in the area of John's Pass, Tampa Bay, Florida.