The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation provided a second situation report on the F/V Laura that ran aground the morning of November 1st. During an overflight, a 5-mile long light sheen was observed approximately 1 mile off shore of Sitkalidak Island. The maximum fuel capacity of the vessel is 4,000 gallons of diesel. It’s estimated by the vessel owner that there were 3,000 gallons of diesel and 425 gallons of lubricants and oils aboard at the time of the grounding.
The DEC states that when the vessel broke apart during inclement weather, all fuels, oils and lubricants were released. The source has, since, been controlled. The U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and other state and federal agencies were coordinating response efforts as the four-person crew was rescued the morning the vessel ran aground.
Conditions at the site made removal of the vessel or lingering fuels onboard unsafe and the vessel broke apart on the rocks due to wave action. Over the weekend of November 6 and 7th, the community of Old Harbor traveled to the beach adjacent to the site of the vessel grounding to conduct cleanup. Several 5-gallon buckets of oil were recovered during the beach cleanup.
The vessel is currently in multiple pieces, some of which have drifted on shore on Sitkalidak Island, and some remain submerged at the site of the original grounding. Salvage of the vessel is being coordinated.
In addition, nets from the vessel were observed entrained in the sand and cobble on the beach, while another was found to be ‘open’ in the water earlier this week. Efforts to remove the nets are underway and will be part of additional efforts to evaluate potential shoreline impacts to remove remaining debris.
There have been no observations or reports of impacts to wildlife or the shoreline to date, according to the DEC.