An excavator ended up in the water in Hingham, Massachusetts, spilling out oil into the harbor.
Aerial footage from NBC10 Boston's SkyRanger helicopter showed the excavator in Hingham Harbor Friday afternoon. Oil could be seen atop the water surrounding the vehicle.
Hingham Fire Chief Steve Murphy said the vehicle became stuck in the mud Thursday. Crews tried to remove it, but couldn't, and it stayed there overnight. The fire department responded after water surrounded the machine.
The oil is believed to be contained after a boom was used to prevent it from spreading, Murphy said.
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"If you look at the machine itself, you can see how high the oil goes up on it," he said. "That was the level that it was sitting at at high tide."
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection said the excavator, which belongs to ACK Marine and General Contracting, was working on a dock extension project since Thursday. At some point, it became stuck in the mud and rolled into the water.
About 60 gallons of diesel fuel and some motor oil were on the vehicle, officials from MASSDEP said.
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ACK Marine brought in crews to remove that fuel from the machine and the surrounding water.
"They're coming back again tomorrow morning with additional equipment. Specifically, they have one excavator on scene, they're coming back with a second one. They have the crane, and they're coming back with a couple of very large tow trucks again," Murphy said. "And they're hoping that between all of that equipment, they can break the suction and then remove the excavator."
NBC10 Boston reached out to ACK Marine, which declined to speak about the incident.
The U.S. Coast Guard was responding to the situation, environmental officials said.
No one was been injured in the incident.
