Digital Extra

Today, more than 1,000 people are working on the environmental disaster.

Each agency, company, or individual serves a specific function -- ranging from search and rescue to salvage operations to cleanup. The following is a list of those involved, their roles, and how they can be reached.

Eklof Marine, based in Staten Island, N.Y., owns the 340-foot North Cape, which was carrying 4 million gallons of oil. Eklof also owns the tug Scandia. The company has been a shipping leader in the Northeast for decades. Backed by multimillion dollar insurance policies, Eklof has accepted responsibility for the accident and has agreed to pay for the entire cleanup and salvage effort. The salvage and cleanup is being handled by a consortium of companies that includes Eklof.

Eklof's phone number is: 718-720-7207.

The U.S. Coast Guard was in command of the initial effort to rescue the six men aboard the tugboat Scandia and capture the drifting barge. The agency maintains supervisory control of the cleanup effort -- overseeing the operation, providing vessels to conduct skimming operations, and inspecting the grounded vessels.

The Coast Guard's public affairs phone number is: 401-435-2300.

Donjon Environmental Marine Services (DEMS) is the newly formed consortium that has been designated by Eklof Marine to salvage the tug and the barge and clean up the spilled oil.

Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, oil shippers are required to name a primary responder in case of an accident. DEMS is a joint venture by Eklof Marine, the owner of the tug and barge, Donjon Marine Co. Inc. of Hillside, N.J., a well-known savage operator, and two companies that specialize in spill cleanup: Clean Ventures Inc. of New Jersey and Garner Environmental Services Inc. of Texas.

DEMS, based in Hillside, received official approval from the Coast Guard earlier this month to respond to oil spills and immediately began soliciting business from other oil shippers. This is the first spill the consortium has handled, though its member partners boast 175 years of accident response experience.

The company can be reached at 908-686-1199.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is the primary state agency dealing with the oil spill. The DEM has been assessing the impact on fish and wildlife. It has orchestrated efforts to contain the oil that has seeped into the salt ponds of South County and imposed restrictions on fishing and shellfishing.

The DEM can be reached at 401-277-6800.

The Environmental Protection Agency is the federal agency responsible for testing how air and water quality have been affected by the spill. The EPA is also working with the DEM to study the long-term effects on wildlife.

The number for the regional EPA office in Boston is 617-565-4592.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has sent a hazardous materials response team to assess the spill. Aside from providing weather information, the NOAA team provides detailed, up-to-date scientific information and analyses of the chemical hazards. It is continually tracking the movement of the shifting oil slick.

The NOAA can be reached at 202-482-6090. A NOAA public affairs officer can be reached at 401-789-2713.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided communications capabilities for the Coast Guard. FEMA brought in a $2.5 million "multi-radio van" equipped with satellite systems.

FEMA can be reached at 202-646-2400.

Save the Bay has been coordinating volunteer support. Crews from the statewide environmental group have been sweeping the coastline to count the loss of marine life and wildlife.

Save the Bay can be reached at 401-272-3540.

The University of Rhode Island has dozens of experts working on many aspects of the spill. From the Graduate School of Oceanography to the Zoology Department, researchers have been working on predicting the flow of the oil slicks, examining booming techniques and studying the effect of the oil on lobsters.

The Graduate School of Oceanography can be reached at 401-874-6224.

URI has also created a Web site with information about the spill. The address is http://brooktrout.gso.uri.edu/riseagrant.

The federal National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the barge grounding, which stemmed from a fire in the engine room of the tugboat Scandia. Investigators have been aboard both the tug and the North Cape, taking photographs and looking for clues. The NTSB had closed-door hearings all week and interviewed crew members of the tug. A final report on the incident probably won't be available for seven months to a year.

The NTSB can be reached at 202-382-6600.

A special Rhode Island Senate commission will begin hearings on the North Cape incident this week. Sen. Domenic A. DiSandro III, D-Narragansett, will be chairman of the eight-member, bipartisan commission.

For more information, contact Senate Majority Leader Paul S. Kelly, 401-277-6655.

The state has a Business Recovery Office at the Oliver Stedman Government Center on Tower Hill Road in Wakefield. Loans of up to $25,000 are available to businesses affected by the spill. This office will process state and federal loan applications, insurance claims, unemployment benefits, welfare or other services. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The phone numbers are 800-261-2071 or 401-782-6048.

Claims for damages can be filed with Water Quality Insurance Syndicate, the insurance company for Eklof Marine, owners of the barge North Cape. They can be reached at 800-995 4045.

The Chamber of Commerce of South Kingstown is compiling a list of jobs for workers displaced by the spill; it is asking employers to provide lists of jobs available.

The phone number is 401-783-2801.