A visible oil sheen was seen coming from a sunken fishing vessel Haida Lady west of Cobb Island in Eastern Channel near Sitka on February 26.
The United States Coast Guard Air Station Sitka conducted a flight and reported that the vessel sunk at 3:20 p.m. after receiving a report from the National Response Center of the visible sheen. The vessel owner reported 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel and 55 gallons of hydraulic oil on board at the time of the sinking. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation reports that the cause of the release is due to fuel escaping from the sunken vessel.
A hard boom was placed around the vessel and worksite. Absorbents have been applied and will continue to be managed within the hard boom in order to collect and recover fuel oil. The vessel has since been repositioned so that the fuel vents are above the waterline in order to prevent further discharge.
The U.S. Coast Guard federalized the incident response and has contracted the Hanson Maritime Company to mitigate the pollution impact from the vessel. The company deployed containment boom around the vessel and worksite on February 27th and began stabilization of the vessel and removal of the nets to access the fuel tanks onboard. Inclement weather and the sea state caused vessel stabilization efforts to continue throughout the weekend.
(Vessel condition on February 27, 2021. Courtesy of Hanson Maritime Company.)
The Hanson Maritime Company will continue to stabilize the vessel to a state where fuel and hydraulic oil can safely occur without increasing the risk of release. Oiled debris and fishing nets will be removed to prevent an entanglement hazard for wildlife.
The area near Eastern Channel includes the Tongass National Forest and Haida lands.