Date: Sept. 30, 2007

Contact: Coast Guard Public Affairs
(787) 510-7923

Oil Spill Cleanup, Investigation Continue

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board, The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration continue cleaning impacted areas Sunday from an Aug. 30 oil spill.

Although the investigation is not complete the Coast Guard, working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, identified several possible sources of the spill including ships in the area at that time.

On of those ships is the General Maritime-owned Genmar Progress.  The Coast Guard boarded the Genmar Progress in Port Arthur, Texas, Wednesday and with the assistance of the ship's crew, concluded the Genmar Progress may have been the source of the spill.

"General Maritime Management is committed to environmental stewardship and continues to cooperate fully and completely with the U.S. Coast Guard in this investigation," said Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for the company.  

General Maritime has dispatched its QI team to Puerto Rico to participate in the cleanup effort.

"It is good to have a ship owner recognize that they may be the source of the spilled oil, and then assist in the response and cooperate in the investigation," said Captain Ray Perry, deputy commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan.  "However our investigation into this incident continues.  the spill remains a mystery until we are confident that we know the origin of all of the oil we are cleaning up.  We are going to be thorough in our investigation."

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