Navy officials say they’ve launched an investigation into the cause of a diesel fuel spill Tuesday night about 22 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras.

The U.S.S. Jason Dunham, a destroyer based in Norfolk, discharged an estimated 35,000 gallons of F-76 — a light diesel fuel akin to gasoline — into the ocean from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to Navy spokesperson Ted Brown of U.S. Fleet Command in Norfolk.

Brown said the apparent cause was a misalignment in the ship’s fuel system as it transited roughly 100 nautical miles toward its home port from an area off Cherry Point. Brown said the Navy is working with the National Response Center and Department of Environmental Quality.

The Navy does not expect the spill to reach coastal waters and signs of a sheen on the water were not visible on a Wednesday fly-over of the area by Coast Guard aircraft, Brown said. Given the conditions, he said, there are no plans to launch a clean-up effort.

“Due to the size and location of the fuel spill, clean-up efforts would be impractical since the fuel is expected to drift away from the coast and evaporate,” Brown said.