A seiner has been refloated after sinking in Crawfish Inlet, south of Sitka, on August 24.
The 58-foot Ginny O was reported underwater on Tuesday, the 25th, with only a few feet of its stern showing above the surface.
The Ginny O’s crew were rescued by a nearby Good Samaritan vessel, which also issued a distress call using an InReach device.
Sitka-based Hanson Maritime responded in a fast vessel with two divers. The Hanson team plugged the Ginny O’s vents and encircled the boat with boom prior to the arrival of the Coast Guard.
Dave Pikul, the regional supervisor for the state Department of Environmental Conservation spill response, says that over the past week the Ginny O was refloated using lift bags. Most of the 1,800 gallons of fuel onboard were pumped out and containerized, with only a light oil sheen visible from bilge residue and the usual surface oil on an engine.
Pikul says that there is visible damage to the bow of the Ginny O, but the cause of the sinking hasn’t been officially determined. A representative of Hanson Maritime says that the seiner will be towed to Sitka stern-first to minimize water entering the hull.
The Ginny O is registered to Kai Olney-Miller Malicoat of Sitka.
