1996day.year
The barge North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
In 1996, an engine fire aboard the tugboat Scandia caused the barge North Cape to run aground, triggering one of New England’s worst oil spills.
On January 19, 1996, an engine fire aboard the tugboat Scandia forced the barge North Cape to run aground at Moonstone Beach in Rhode Island. The grounding spilled over 800,000 gallons of home heating oil into the coastal ecosystem. Thick oil slicks contaminated beaches, marshes, and marine habitats, prompting large-scale cleanup efforts. Local volunteers and environmental agencies worked together to rescue wildlife and remove oil from shorelines. The spill became one of New England’s worst environmental disasters of the decade. Long-term studies later revealed lingering effects on fish and bird populations.
1996
North Cape
South Kingstown, Rhode Island