Posted on 06/07/25
| News Source: WMAR2NEWS
Baltimore, MD - June 7, 2025 - Officials with Johns Hopkins Medicine confirmed Friday night that 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the Inner Harbor.
Early estimates were initially at 2,000 gallons.
There continues to be no impact on the drinking water and the spill remains contained in the marina at the South Central Avenue Bridge in Harbor East.
Governor Wes Moore and Mayor Brandon Scott released a joint statement Friday saying the State of Maryland, City of Baltimore, and the United States Coast Guard are continuing to clean up remnants of the spill that occurred Wednesday morning.
The Maryland Department of Environment, in partnership with the United States Coast Guard, and in coordination with the City of Baltimore, will assume oversight of the sustained cleanup operation Saturday, per officials.
Contractors hired by Johns Hopkins will still be working to clean the remaining spill as the scene is expected to remain active over the weekend.
As flushing continues, and rain is expected for the weekend, officials say measures have been taken to reduce the potential for fuel to spread further in the harbor.
Included in Governor Moore and Mayor Scott's joint statement were services that will be impacted as the cleanup operation gets underway.
"Effective immediately, service along the Harbor Connector #1 Line from Maritime Park (Landing 8) to Locust Point (Landing 10) is suspended until further notice as response crews continue their work. Harbor Connector Routes 2 and 3 will continue to operate. The Water Taxi and Harbor Trolley will also be affected by the closure. The Charm City Circulator is starting to run a shuttle service from Fleet and Caroline to Key Hwy and Hull Street for Harbor Connector passengers that need transport due to suspended Connector service. In addition, all watercraft should avoid the area between Harbor Point and Henderson’s Wharf until further notice. The Central Avenue roadway will remain closed between Lancaster and Point Street as operations continue. These closures include pedestrian and bicycle traffic," Governor Moore and Mayor Scott's statement reads.
Johns Hopkins Medicine also released a statement:
"Johns Hopkins continues to work closely with federal, state and local authorities as well as the environmental remediation crews who have been working tirelessly to clean up the harbor. Our review of the situation is ongoing, and, as we continue to gather information, we are updating the estimate of the overflow. In our last update to state agencies, we revised the initial estimate of the fuel overflow to approximately 5,000 gallons. As noted previously, Johns Hopkins is handling the costs for the environmental remediation."