Spills

Croix to puerto rico

Mystery Spill, St · Croix; St · NOAAORR-6352

issued
1986-04-03 00:00Z
status
cancelled 1986-04-17 00:00Z
self-cancels
1986-04-17 00:00Z
authority
NOAA OR&R
sea
Caribbean Sea
position
17.923, -65.278
source
incidentnews · first seen 2026-09-03 15:09Z

Original warning text

Mystery Spill, St. Croix; St. Croix to Puerto Rico.
St. Croix to Puerto Rico.
1. On April 3, 1986, the U.S. Coast Guard received reports from several commercial aircraft flying over the site that a massive oil slick extended from St. Croix to Puerto Rico. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment in St. Croix dispatched a small boat to the slick location. The crew of the small boat had great difficulty locating the slick, although a commercial aircraft flying overhead confirmed that they were in the locale of the reported slick. The boat crew reported that the material was lightly concentrated, with only small patches of the product observable. The boat crew took a sample of the material, which had accumulated on the side of their boat. USCG district 5.
2. COMMODITY: OIL.
3. POSITION 17.923N 065.278W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 6352: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/6352

This area · spills & pollution incidents

112 within 180 nm since 1968 · 2 in the last 12 months · 1 in force now

68
70
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

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 →

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.