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Wreck removal to start in August
The removal of the 'Arctic Sea' on the northwest side of St. George Island in the Pribilofswas set to begin in early August, following a survey that found no signs of remaining diesel fuel or hydraulic oil aboard the wrecked crabber, according to the final situation report issued by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on July 21. When the vessel ran hard aground on Jan. 5, an estimated 45,000 gallons of diesel fuel and roughly 2,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fluid from its 11 fuel tanks were released. The vessel was carrying 11,000 pounds of Tanner crab at the time of the incident. A pollution survey by Global Diving & Salvage Inc. on June 1 had found one tank, the No. 2 starboard double-bottom tank, still holding about 5,800 gallons of diesel. The team plugged the tank's vent and standpipe to stop further leakage. On June 20, a Resolve Marine team boarded the vessel to conduct a wreck removal survey and found that same tank full of seawater, with no sheen, emulsified product, or scent of diesel or hydraulic oil detected anywhere aboard. No further spill response or cleanup actions were required. The survey also documented significant deterioration of the hull, including cracks on both the port and starboard sides and sections of the port-side wave wall and bow that had broken free. The Resolve Marine has been contracted to remove the wreck, with the work scheduled to wrap up before the onset of the Bering Sea winter season. Shoreline and drone surveys conducted by Polaris Applied Sciences covered about four kilometers of coastline between the wreck site and the town of St. George. Heavy bird activity was observed along the surveyed cliffs, but no sheen or wildlife impacts were found. Polaris also collected mussel samples from three sites at varying distances from the wreck to establish baseline contamination levels ahead of the removal work.
Fuel removal still underway
The 'Arctic Sea', owned by the Coastal Villages Region Fund, was still undergoing fuel removal and salvage operations. A salvage team which boarded the grounded vessel on June 1 found that only one of its 11 fuel tanks still contained diesel, with roughly 5,800 gallons remaining, So far, there was no impact on marine or wildlife from surveys of the shoreline and wreck site. A pollution survey by Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. determined that about 45,000 gallons of diesel had already washed out of the other tanks after storm damage left vent pipes and standpipes open to the sea. An estimated 2,000 gallons of lube and hydraulic oil were also lost. Global savlors plugged the damaged vent and standpipe on the remaining intact tank to prevent further discharge. Plans to remove the remaining fuel were underway, with a favourable 10‑day weather window forecast for St. George Island. The 'Arctic Sea' was carrying 50,000 gallons of diesel and about 2,000 gallons of lube and hydraulic oil when it grounded with nine crew members on board. The 'Arctic Sea' was part of CVRF’s fleet targeting crab, pollock and cod in the Bering Sea. Report with photos: https://www.intrafish.com/fisheries/months-after-grounding-fuel-still-being-removed-from-alaska-fishing-vessel/2-1-2002362
Salvage operations hampered by bad weather
The salvage operations for the 'Arctic Sea' were “severely hampered by adverse weather off St. George Island on Jan. 5. The salvage vessel 'Makushin Bay' ((IMO: 5376208)), which was contracted by the state of Alaska to assess the wreck and start pumping off the fuel, was unable to anchor safely or launch a small boat amid 30‑ to 45‑knot winds and a rough sea state as of Jan. 20 situation. The salvors, however, were able to board the vessel, finding its bow mostly submerged and decks nearly awash. Report with photo: https://www.intrafish.com/fisheries/salvage-efforts-for-alaska-fishing-vessel-remain-severely-hampered/2-1-1932073
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