Coast Guard evaluating spill in Commencement Bay

A container ship headed north from Commencement Bay at the southern end of Puget Sound reportedly lost hydraulic fluid, and Coast Guard and state ecology investigators were responding to the scene to determine the size of the spill and whether cleanup efforts are possible.

The initial report at about 3:20 p.m. today was that about 132 gallons of hydraulic fluid was accidentally released as the 1,000-foot vessel Hyundai Republic was just getting under way from its mooring at the Washington United terminal in Tacoma. A small sheen was reported when the ship pulled into a terminal in Elliott Bay in Seattle. There were no initial reports of damage.

Investigators said the ship likely lost most of the contents of a hydraulic reservoir into Blair Waterway in Commencement Bay, near Tacoma. A spill response vessel assessed the spill and recovered some of the spill, the Coast Guard reported.

Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Ron Owens said about four hours after the report that it appeared that patches of fluid were starting to break up.

Cleanup attempts were suspended Tuesday evening after dark, and were expected to resume Wednesday morning.