Cynthia M
On
15 March 1994, the barge Cynthia M was listing 70 degrees when she
was moored to the landing stage at the Kuehne chemical plant, south
of Kearny, New Jersey. The barge had a capacity of 1,300 m³
and was loaded with a cargo of 1,200 m³ of caustic soda 30 %
solution.
On 16 March, approximately 570 m³ of the soda solution were
spilled in Hackensack River and Newark Bay. At 12:35 pm, the pH
beside the barge was 12, but by 3:35 pm it had lowered to 9. Only
the area immediately surrounding the barge was affected by the pollution.
According
to final estimations, the barge lost her entire cargo. Recovery
was impossible as the chemical immediately dissolved in the water.
The
spill affected birds, caused the death of fish and destroyed the
surrounding marshlands.
The
possibility of adding weak acid to neutralise the alkali solution
was studied, but NOAA recommended the use of fire hoses to increase
dilution and to encourage the dissolution of the substance in the
water column.
Name: Cynthia M
Date: 15 March 1994
Location: USA
Accident area : Kuehne Chemical factory, south of Kearny, New Jersey
Quantity transported : 1,034 tonnes
Type of pollutant : 30 % caustic soda solution
Ship type : barge
Cause of spill : grounding
Quantity spilled : 490 tonnes
Last update: June 2011