SAN FRANCISCO — The Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response and other partner agencies are moving forward Wednesday with efforts to prepare the Spirit of Sacramento for fuel removal operations.
Several scenarios are being developed to safely remove the pollution threat, which include righting the vessel and removing the fuel, or removing the fuel while the boat remains in its current position.
“Because this situation is so unique, the strong partnership between the Coast Guard and state and local agencies has been absolutely critical,” said Lt. Cmdr. Rhianna Macon, the Coast Guard Sector San Francisco incident management chief and incident commander for the Spirit of Sacramento case. “The effort to leverage each agency’s jurisdictional authorities to protect the public, environment and wildlife has been extensive. Our primary focus is to ensure we’re doing this safely.”
In order to ensure the vessel is prepared for any course of action, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is scheduled to analyze the river depth and floor in the vicinity of the vessel. Global Diving and Salvage, Inc., are scheduled to commence welding operations Thursday to attach fittings on to the vessel that would be needed to rotate the vessel upright with a crane. Welding operations are expected to continue through the weekend, and possibly through the next week.
To keep the vessel steady during welding operations, the Spirit of Sacramento is scheduled to be secured with mooring lines to a barge that is held in place on the river bed with steel shafts. The Coast Guard, Office of Spill Prevention and Response, and Contra Costa County Sheriffs will be on scene enforcing the 75-foot safety zone while welding operations are in progress.
While conducting assessments Wednesday, Global Diving and Salvage, Inc., reported that the vessel had shifted onto its starboard side. An unknown amount of lube oil was released but remained inside the immediate vicinity of the vessel within the containment boom surrounding the vessel and was recovered using absorbent pads.
Boaters are reminded to exercise extreme caution when operating in the vicinity of the vessel and to abide by the 75-foot safety zone. For more information on the public notice establishing the safety zone, click here.
Boaters who notice any changes to the vessel, environment, or wildlife may notify the Office of Spill Prevention and Response at 800-852-7550.