An unknown amount of fuel has spilled from a fishing vessel that ran aground near St. George Island earlier this month, according to a situation report released by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation on Tuesday.
The Arctic Sea ran aground Jan. 5 on the northwest side of the Pribilof Island. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued all nine crewmembers.
According to the report, officials observed a sheen on Jan. 7 that ran about 7 miles from the vessel, extending 200 yards offshore. Now, several groups — including a salvage team, the Coast Guard and the state — are responding to the spill.
A salvage vessel with Resolve Marine Group — an international marine salvage company with a shipyard and warehouse in Dutch Harbor — arrived at the Arctic Sea on Saturday. Salvors boarded the boat, finding the bow mostly submerged and decks almost awash.
“Improved weather permitted the launch of a small boat; the salvage team observed an emulsified oil product and a visible sheen stretching east and west from the vessel,” the state’s report said.
Teams placed rat traps and accessed various tanks, most of which contained a mixture of diesel and water.
The Department of Environmental Conservation said the spill puts various local resources at risk, with the highest concern for the sea lion and seal rookeries nearby. The area is also in the range of the threatened Steller’s eider and the endangered short-tailed albatross.
The island is home to many seabirds, including the largest colony of murres in Alaska, according to the report. St. George is a rat-free island. If rodents reached the island, they would present a serious threat to nesting birds.
“Migratory birds, terrestrial mammals, and marine mammals are at risk of predation and disease from introduced rodents,” the report reads. “The impact to wildlife from the introduction of rodents to St. George would likely far exceed the impact of oiling from a spill. St. George has prevention kits on the island that may be temporarily relocated closer to the grounding site.”
The Coast Guard confirmed the vessel had 50,000 gallons of fuel and about 2,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fluid on board at the time of the grounding. The vessel also had about 11,000 pounds of Tanner crab on board.
“The two starboard stern tanks were sounded and contained fuel and water mix,” the report said. “The stern tank was mainly pure product but the midship tank appeared to be emulsified diesel. Based on schematics of the vessel, each tank holds between 3,500 to 5,000 gallons of product depending on location.”
The Department of Environmental Conservation said the salvage vessel was unable to get close enough to start pumping off fuel due to poor weather. The team returned to Dutch Harbor on Monday to stand by for a better weather window.
The state agency said Bering Sea winter storms could pause salvage operations until the spring. It will continue to monitor response actions and review further plans.
