The U.S. Coast Guard did not notify local emergency responders or public officials of the fuel tanker that briefly lost steering last month because it was not an “emergency response situation.”

In a recent letter to U.S. Rep. William L. Owens, Rear Adm. Michael Parks, commander of the Coast Guard’s Ninth District, said that the 479-foot Sarah Desgagnes— which was carrying a full load of gasoline — had “suffered a momentary loss of steering” because of mechanical failure on June 22 but that U.S. and Canadian agencies “safely managed the incident.”

“According to the Eastern Great Lakes Area Contingency Plan required by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, there is no requirement to notify local emergency responders or public officials unless there is an actual discharge or significant threat of a discharge on the Seaway,” he said in the letter.

After inspections and repairs, the vessel was allowed June 25 to proceed to its destination with an escort tug attached to it and completed its voyage June 28.

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