A fishing vessel ran aground last week, leaking oil into Sitka Sound. The Coast Guard received a call Wednesday (10/26/16) evening that the 41-foot fishing vessel Sandra L hit bottom in a tidal area near the mouth of Redoubt Bay, about 15 miles south of Sitka. The Sandra L is owned and operated by Jesse Jeske out of Sitka.
A Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Sitka was out on a training mission at the time of the call. The crew was diverted to the scene of the grounding, where a rescue swimmer was lowered to assist.
The fishing vessel Laura Lydell was also nearby during the time of the grounding and had deployed its life raft. Jeske was safely rescued and brought aboard the Laura Lydell.
According to a Coast Guard press release, a flyover on Friday showed a visible oil sheen around the wreck.
Jay Willimon supervises the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety detachment in Sitka. In the case of an oil spill, it’s the owner who is responsible for cleanup efforts. Jeske has contracted an oil spill response organization to help with cleanup and Willimon says Jeske has a good network of responders.
“Between divers and other commercial fishing vessels, they’re coming together to effectively salvage the boat,” Willimon explained.
An absorbent boom was placed around the vessel and divers have been deployed to isolate fuel tanks. Willimon says it’s impossible to know just how much oil has spilled so far.
“It was reported that there were 50 gallons of diesel fuel at the time of the incident,” Willimon said, “but until the vessel is salvaged, we won’t know how much remains on board.”
The Coast Guard was on scene over the weekend to oversee the effort and has opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, a billion-dollar federal fund to help pay for clean-up and spill-related damages.
Willimon said a handful of similar spills happen around Sitka each year. The exact cause of this incident is unknown and an investigation is ongoing.
