F/V Aleutian Storm: Unified Command transitions authority of response for the grounded vessel near Bodega Bay
SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Coast Guard and California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR) transitioned the authority of lead responding agency to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (NOAA’s GFNMS) Monday.
NOAA’s GFNMS will lead the oversight of salvage operations in coordination with state and local agencies and the vessel’s owner.
The Unified Command determined that pollution removal operations would be unsafe due to weather conditions and the degraded condition of the vessel. With the current safety concerns, the determination was then made to shift to salvage operations.
Efforts to refloat the vessel during the initial days of the response and to relocate the vessel further up the beach before the weekend’s storm were unsuccessful. Prior to the storm, crews were able to remove diesel from one storage tank but it is unknown how much, if any, pollution remains onboard.
Coast Guard and CDFW-OSPR will continue to monitor the situation should crews discover pollution during future salvage operations.
For questions regarding operations to the response going forward can be directed to GFNMS Public Information Officer Jennifer Stock at 415-686-1864 or [email protected].
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