Long Island spill of oil dissipates

The Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Most of the oil that seeped into Long Island Sound from a punctured barge had dissipated by Saturday, leaving cleanup crews only the task of moving thousands of gallons of oil to another boat.

"There really is no cleanup," Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Mike Edgerton said after military officials who flew over the site reported that the spill was broken up.

The leak, about 2,500 gallons, occurred about 2 a.m. Friday when the barge struck bottom about two miles south of Norwalk. The sound in that area is about 18 feet deep.

Coast Guard officials had initially estimated the spill at 10,000 to 15,000 gallons but revised that figure late Friday.

Cleanup crews spent part of Saturday unloading the barge, which was carrying 52,000 barrels of oil, Edgerton said. Work was stopped by mid-afternoon to move the barge to Bridgeport, about 15 miles northeast of Norwalk. More of the oil might be unloaded there, he said.