Grounded fishing boat leaked diesel into marine sanctuary near Bodega Bay
(KRON) — Several agencies continue to respond to a grounded commercial fishing boat near Bodega Bay in an effort to refloat the vessel and mitigate environmental impacts, according to the United States Coast Guard. An “unknown volume” of diesel leaked into the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary during a tug operation on Monday.
The 58-foot commercial fishing boat, named Aleutian Storm, ran aground two miles southwest of Bodega Bay on Friday night with four crew members aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Around 1,500 gallons of diesel were estimated to be on board. Initial efforts to refloat the boat on Sunday and Monday failed.
On Tuesday morning, contractors began the removal of diesel from a storage tank before tides stopped the operation due to safety concerns. An investigation into how much diesel was discharged is ongoing, USCG said.
Further efforts to remove diesel and pollution from the boat, assess the vessel’s condition and address the crab catch onboard are set to continue Wednesday if conditions allow, according to the Coast Guard.
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The circumstances that led to the commercial boat being grounded are under investigation. All four crew members were uninjured and safely swam to shore after running aground, officials said.
The U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, California State Parks, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management, Sonoma County Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, and partner agencies have been among the responding agencies.
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