Actor Tim Allen's yacht spilled dozens of gallons diesel into a Michigan marina over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Authorities confirmed that the ship spilled between 30 and 50 gallons of fuel in the Northport marina due to a faulty fuel filter.
The fuel spill resulted in the marina's closure for approximately 12 hours on Sunday afternoon. Another nearby marina was closed for a day, but both have now re-opened.
Hugh Cook, the Leelanau Township fire chief, said Mr Allen was unaware that the fuel pump was faulty until he noticed the leak. He said Mr Allen moved to correct the issue himself to prevent further spillage.
“He didn’t know what was happening until he pulled into the marina,” Mr Cook said. “He himself pulled the fuse on the bilge pump so it wouldn’t eject any more fuel. So, he did a lot of things right himself.”
According to MLive, the faulty fuel pumped allowed the yacht's engine compartment to fill will the fuel until the bilge pump — intended to ejecting water from the ship's compartments — kicked on and began dumping the fuel.
Mr Allen told reporters at The Record-Eagle on Sunday that he felt bad the accident disrupted other people's holiday plans.
“I felt very uncomfortable closing the harbor down for everybody,” Mr Allen said.
The Independent has reached out to Mr Allen’s representation for comment.
Bill Rosemurgy, the harbormaster at the marina, told MLive his dockhands were able to quickly isolate the spill and begin mopping it up with an oil-absorbing boom.
“It was it was fairly well-contained within the marina,” he said. “The wind was helpful. It was blowing into the mouth of the marina, so that helped to contain it. But there was a heavy sheen throughout the entire harbor.”
Responders used approximately 1,000 absorbent pads to soak up the diesel.
The US Coast Guard and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy are determining whether or not Mr Allen will be subject to any fines concerning the accident.
Mr Allen will be financially responsible for the cost of the clean up work.
