Up to 5,000 gallons of diesel spills into Elliott Bay at Seattle’s Vigor Shipyards
Jul 14, 2026, 9:09 AM | Updated: 1:25 pm
State environmental officials are responding to a diesel spill in Seattle’s Elliott Bay after thousands of gallons of fuel leaked during a Navy ship operation at Harbor Island.
The Washington State Department of Ecology said the spill happened Monday at Vigor Shipyards while crews were removing fuel from the Navy ship USS Sampson.
Officials estimate thousands of gallons of diesel spilled into a pre-boomed containment area surrounding the vessel. The exact amount of fuel released is still being determined, as of this reporting. The area around the vessel where the spill occurred was “pre-boomed,” meaning an oil boom was in place.
“We’re responding to a spill at Vigor Shipyards on Harbor Island in Seattle,” a state ecology spokesperson explained on social media. “Fuel was being removed from the naval vessel USS Sampson when a hose failure led to a discharge of an estimated 2500 to 5000 gallons of diesel into Elliott Bay, spilling into a pre-boomed area around the vessel.”
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The cause of the diesel spill revealed
The Washington Department of Ecology said the spill was caused by a hose failure. Crews were able to begin recovery efforts shortly after the leak was reported, with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and other agencies assisting in the response.
For perspective, 5,000 gallons of diesel is roughly one-third of a typical backyard swimming pool or enough water to fill more than 300 bathtubs.
The USS Sampson is a guided-missile destroyer built in Maine and commissioned in 2007. The ship carries more than 300 sailors during deployments, and its homeport is Everett.
Officials have not said how long cleanup efforts are expected to take or whether any environmental impacts have been reported outside the containment area.
“Recovery started soon thereafter,” the spokesperson said. “We are on scene and coordinating with the US Navy, US Coast Guard, and response contractors.”
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