Port of Astoria commissioners have approved a 25-year, $1.8 million loan with Business Oregon to cover the remaining cost of cleaning up an oil spill at the port’s Pier 2. The leak began May 29, when an underwater fuel line roughly 12 inches in diameter and 50 feet long released oil into the slipway between Piers 2 and 3. Oregon DEQ reported more than 11 tons of waste and 3,249 gallons of oily water.

GrayMar Environmental Services led the response, with the Coast Guard and DEQ on scene by June 1. Crews deployed more than 3,000 feet of boom, and divers cut away the broken pipe and capped the line. Executive Director Will Isom said the cleanup succeeded and DEQ required no environmental remediation.

The cleanup cost about $2.1 million in total. Insurance covered $250,000, and the loan pays the remaining balance to GrayMar. Commissioners said the port will pursue grants to recover some of the cost. They also noted that the long-stalled permitting for the $25 million Pier 2 west-side rebuild, which covers the same area, has now dragged on for about three years.

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