Spills · mystery_substance
Possible oil detected by satellite imagery off coastal california
NOAAORR-11098
- issued
- 2026-01-07 00:00Z
- status
- cancelled 2026-01-21 00:00Z
- self-cancels
- 2026-01-21 00:00Z
- authority
- NOAA OR&R
- sea
- North Pacific Ocean
- position
- 38.896, -124.318
- source
- incidentnews · first seen 2026-09-03 15:09Z
Original warning text
Possible Oil Detected by Satellite Imagery off Coastal California. 84CQVMWJ+8V. 1. NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) observed an anomaly in satellite imagery which was suspected to be oil. The possible discharge was observed along the track of a suspected source vessel. (The product indicated a potential oil spill that may not be confirmed by ground truth data.) The NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) contacted the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and an investigation was begun. USCG contacted the vessel in question and their shipping agent and determined the anomaly was produced by a legal discharge of palm oil. The vessel master confirmed tank washings were discharged legally 35 NM offshore, meeting all depth, speed, and location requirements stipulated by the regulations and the discharge was fully compliant with MARPOL Annex II. The NOAA SSC communicated this information to the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine [...] 2. THREAT: OIL. TAGS: MYSTERY SUBSTANCE. 3. POSITION 38.896N 124.318W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 11098: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/11098
This area · spills & pollution incidents
236 within 180 nm since 1971 · 13 in the last 12 months · 2 in force now
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- 1900 CA-1, moss landing, ca 95039, USA2026-08-30
- 32CC+C7 inverness, ca, USA2026-08-21
- J444+RW monterey, ca, USA2026-08-13
- 1809 sunset dr, pacific grove, ca 93950, USA2026-08-07
- R685+56 moss landing, ca, USA2026-08-07
- 841 w brannan island rd, isleton, ca 95641, USA2026-07-31
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Nearby now · within 120 nm
- 32CC+C7 inverness, ca, USASpills · 80.1 nm
Worldwide now
8 spills & pollution incidents in force · see all
Spills
Oil and chemical spills, groundings and vessel casualties with a pollution threat: NOAA IncidentNews responses since 1957, and spill-response areas broadcast as navigational warnings. All current spills & pollution incidents →
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