More than 2,000 gallons of diesel spilled in Baltimore stains its shoreline: disaster spreads
The spill was caused by the overfilling of two diesel tanks and the Maryland Department of the Environment was immediately notified.
Maryland Department of the Environment
Emergency crews from several government agencies remain at work since early morning to clean up a diesel spill of more than 2,000 gallons off the coast of Baltimore. The spill occured Wednesday morning.
According to the official notice from the Coast Guard and a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the spill occurred near East Harbor Marina on the Patapsco River and originated from a Johns Hopkins Hospital facility in East Baltimore.
Differences between the causes of the spill
A spokesman for the medical center said the incident was caused by the overfilling of two diesel tanks and that the Maryland Department of the Environment was immediately notified, according to statements given to CNN.
"On Wednesday, during a routine fuel delivery from an outside vendor, two diesel tanks supplying power to emergency generators at our patient care facility at Johns Hopkins in East Baltimore accidentally overfilled, causing an overflow," the contact added.
However, the official statement revealed that authorities have preliminarily identified the source of the spill as a pipeline at Johns Hopkins Hospital, approximately 1.3 miles from the leak site.
">Our Emergency Response Team is currently in Fells Point responding to an approx. 100 gallon oil spill of unknown origin. The red color is coming from dye in the oil. The @USCG and a private contractor are also assisting with the cleanup. pic.twitter.com/bQUtEErmbS
— MD Environment (@MDEnvironment) June 4, 2025
A temporary containment boom
Around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Maryland-National Capital Region Sector received a report from the Baltimore City Fire Department indicating that a sheen had been spotted along the shoreline, and that the city's Hazardous Materials Department had deployed a temporary containment boom.
Johns Hopkins, meanwhile, first reported the spill a short time earlier and initially estimated it at 100 gallons, reveals a press release from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott.
The fuel contains a red dye and has stained a section of the water approximately 100 yards by 250 yards near the South Central Avenue Bridge, the release added. "The water is red due to the diesel dye. There is no impact to drinking water in the area," the governor and mayor confirmed.
Disaster at a Baltimore boardwalk and popular tourist destination
To contain the disaster, oil-absorbent materials and separators are being used to remove the fuel from the water. "Containment and cleanup efforts will continue through the night," officials said.
Johns Hopkins Hospital is the flagship facility of Johns Hopkins Medicine, the university's prestigious medical school.
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