ARGO MERCHANT OIL: WHERE DID IT GO?

A series of water column and sediment samples was collected from the area surrounding the wreck site of the ARGO MERCHANT to determine the extent and level of petroleum oil hydrocarbons entering the environment as a result of this pollution incident. Fluorescence spectroscopic analysis of these samples indicated that a physical/chemical fractionation of the oil occurred with only the lighter aromatic components (one-, two-and three-membered ring aromatic compounds) entering the water column. These light aromatic hydrocarbons are undoubtedly associated with the cutter stock material used in blending the industrial No. 6 fuel oil carried by the ARGO MERCHANT. In contrast, analysis of sediment samples collected around the wreck site indicated that all the aromatic components (single through multiringed aromatic compounds) of the ARGO MERCHANT oil cargo had entered the sediments near the wreck site. The suspected mechanism for the oil entering the bottom is the mechanical churning of the wreck on the bottom. The oil sediment has subsequently been transported, to a limited extent, in a southwesterly direction by simple bottom sediment transport.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at the Spring Meeting/STAR Symposium, New London, Connecticut, April 26-29, 1978. Available only in bound proceedings.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers

  601 Pavonia Avenue
  Jersey City, NJ  United States  07306-2907
• Authors:
  • Jadamec, J R
  • Fortier, S
  • Buchanan, S
  • Hufford, G L
• Publication Date: 1978

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Dispersers; Dynamics; Fluorescence; Impacts; Oil spill cleanup; Oil spills; Sedimentation; Spectroscopy
• Uncontrolled Terms: Fluorescence spectroscopy; Sediment transport
• Old TRIS Terms: Oil dispersal; Oil spill behavior; Oil spill impact; Oil spreading dynamics; Ss argo merchant
• Subject Areas: Environment; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00173996
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
• Report/Paper Numbers: No. 15
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 3 1978 12:00AM