According to the waste transporter Matlack Inc., the vehicle carrying the waste was stolen from the Days Inn Hotel located at Lane Avenue and Interstate-10 in Jacksonville on March 10, 2001. Generated by a subsidiary of Hess Refinery in the Virgin Islands, the waste was en-route to Gulf Chemical and Metallurgic Corporation, Texas, for treatment and disposal. Approximately 34,000 pounds of spent desulfurizing catalyst, iron sulfides and benzene contained in 76 black steel drums.
Contents are spontaneously combustible.
Do not expose to air, water or carbon dioxide. An officer from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office noticed the abandoned truck and container following public notification by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Tom Tramel praised the public for responding quickly to a potentially hazardous situation. After a safety check by FDEP's emergency response team and county fire officials the truck and cargo was released to the transportation company. On the evening of March 20th the truck and container left for Gulf Chemical and Metallurgic Corporation in Texas, the waste's final destination for treatment and disposal.