The Coast
Guard is continuing to monitor the salvage of a fishing tender intentionally
grounded on July 4 on Culross Island in Prince William Sound, after the vessel
struck a rock that damaged the hull and caused flooding.
Coast Guard
Lt. Allie Ferko said that all diesel fuel had been removed from the Hana
Cove, owned by Hana Cove Fisheries LLC, and there were no reported
signs of pollution in the water.
The Hana
Cove, home ported at Falls Bay in Prince William
Sound, was reportedly carrying about 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 800
gallons of gasoline at the time of the grounding. No injuries were reported and
cause of the incident remains under investigation.
After the Hana
Cove was beached, the Coast Guard launched an Air Station Kodiak MH-60
Jayhawk helicopter crew forward deployed to Cordova to assist. Good Samaritans on the 28-foot fishing vessel
AK
4 Star took the Hana Cove crew on board and safely
transported them to Whittier. Hana Cove
Fisheries contracted Alaska Marine Response LLC out of Cordova following the
grounding to deploy boom around the vessel, remove the fuel aboard and prepare
a vessel salvage plan. On July 9, Ferko said plans were to refloat the Hana
Cove at high tide and transit the vessel to a more protected area,
where a decision would then be made on temporary repairs and what port to take
the vessel for dry dock work.
It’s been a
busy week for the Coast Guard in Alaska. The Naknek Spirit, a tender packer home ported in Homer, had run aground with five people aboard earlier and ruptured its starboard fuel tank.
On July 8, responders from Coast Guard Sector Anchorage, with Alaska
Chadux and the crew of the fishing vessel Naknek Spirit successfully refloated
the vessel at high tide near Poe Bay and transited the vessel to Whittier for
further assessment.
The vessel
was reportedly carrying an estimated 10,000 gallons of diesel and 1,200 gallons
of gasoline, but less than 500 gallons of fuel was released and no negative
impacts were observed to the shoreline or wildlife.