Oil spills into Delaware River

The Coast Guard is investigating an oil spill on the Delaware River near Pennsville, Salem County, N.J., authorities said Tuesday.

Authorities were notified after globs of oil began washing ashore at the Pennsville boat ramp near Riviera Drive and Eaton Road. Police reports said there was a strong odor of oil.

Neither the source of the oil nor the amount possibly spilled have been determined, said John Hammond, an operations specialist first class with the Coast Guard in Philadelphia.

Hammond said crews from the Coast Guard and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection were at the scene investigating.

The spill is the second on the Delaware this week. On Monday, No. 6 oil leaked from the barge Wild Cosmos during refueling in Wilmington, DEP spokesman Larry Hajna said.

"Several hundred gallons spilled. The estimates we have are from 100 to 500 gallons," Hajna said.

Hajna said the barge's management firm hired an environmental company to clean up the spill in Wilmington. Booms and absorbent pads were set out to soak up the oil, he said.

The Coast Guard and Delaware authorities are investigating, Hammond said.

Authorities are treating the spills as separate incidents, Hammond said. Testing will be conducted on samples to determine if they match, he said.

Hajna said a sheen was observed in the river in Pennsville and some debris was affected by the oil. There had been no reports of any impact on wildlife, he said.

"If the size of it is estimated accurately, that's a relatively small spill," Hajna said.