Spills · oil

On the afternoon of september 27, 1996, the motor tanker, julie n, owned and operated by maritime overseas…

M/t Julie N; Portland, Maine · Portland, Maine · NOAAORR-5080

issued
1996-09-27 00:00Z
status
cancelled 1996-10-11 00:00Z
self-cancels
1996-10-11 00:00Z
authority
NOAA OR&R
sea
North Atlantic Ocean
position
43.647, -70.290
source
incidentnews · first seen 2026-09-03 15:09Z

Original warning text

M/T  Julie N; Portland, Maine.
Portland, Maine.
1. On the afternoon of September 27, 1996, the motor tanker, Julie N, owned and operated by Maritime Overseas Corporation, entered Portland Harbor under pilotage carrying a cargo of #2 home heating fuel (HHF). The pilot prepared for passage through the "Million Dollar Bridge," an extremely narrow draw bridge, affording less than five feet of clearance on either side of the vessel's mid-section. Accounting for a rising tide and southwesterly winds, the pilot approached the opening from the northern portion of the Fore River and misspoke the helm command. By the time the order could be corrected, less than a minute later, the vessel was committed and allision (a moving object hitting a stationary one) imminent. The Julie N struck the southern side of the bridge, a sharp buttress damaged her just below the waterline The exposed part of the bridge opened a 15-foot hole into the forward port [...]
2. THREAT: OIL. COMMODITY: #2 FUEL/HOME HEATING FUEL	INTERMEDIATE FUEL OIL 380. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 180000 GALLONS.
3. POSITION 43.647N 070.290W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 5080: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/5080

This area · spills & pollution incidents

273 within 180 nm since 1972 · 7 in the last 12 months · 0 in force now

72
75
80
85
90
95
00
05
10
15
20
25
26

Season · when spills & pollution incidents happen here

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

month of issue, all years in the archive

Nearby now · within 120 nm

Nothing else in force within 120 nm.

Worldwide now

7 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

Not for navigation. This is a re-rendering of an official navigational warning for awareness; mariners must use official NAVAREA broadcasts and their national MSI service.