LOS ANGELES – Members of Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Santa Barbara responded to a sailing vessel aground off Santa Cruz Island, Monday.
MSD Santa Barbara members received initial notification from watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach of a 27-foot sailing vessel that ran aground off Santa Cruz Island.
After receiving notification, pollution responders from MSD Santa Barbara worked with the vessel’s owner to identify and address any substantial pollution, fuel and other contaminants aboard the vessel. Due to the significance of the potential impact to surrounding environments, responders immediately opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to aid in the safe removal of all potential contaminates aboard the vessel.
Members of MSD Santa Barbara, along with members of Patriot Environmental Services and Castagnola Tug Service, worked to safely remove four portable fuel containers, several bottled contaminates, and all the fuel and oil from the vessel’s tanks and engine.
Throughout the process, MSD Santa Barbara members also worked closely with members of the National Parks Service, the Nature Conservancy, and the NOAA Sanctuary Manager to keep all parties informed and to protect this vital marine environment from any potential contamination.
Santa Cruz Island is the largest of the eight islands that make up the Channel Islands of California. The island is co-owned by the National Parks Service and the Nature Conservancy. The surrounding marine environment is a protected marine sanctuary under authority of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.