Diesel Cleanup Close To San Juan Island Becomes Difficult As Sunken Vessel Sinks Even Deeper

The cleanup of a sunken vessel named the Aleutian Isle was a complicated operation. On Monday, the commercial dive and salvage teams discovered that the boat had shifted and sank at an additional 100 feet, per the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Ty Keltner, the communications manager, associated with the spill program of the ecology department, mentioned that divers on Monday hoped to plug vents and get rid of fuel from the vessel that sank on Saturday. However, the commercial vessel reportedly shifted and eventually sank farther beyond the surface, Keltner reported. The commercial fishing vessel was present in waters nearly 200 feet deep, the department mentioned on Monday night.

The depth of the wreckage prompted the US Coast Guard to call in a remotely operated vehicle that was expected to reach on Tuesday, the Department of Ecology informed on Tuesday.

Video Credits: KING 5 / YouTube

On Tuesday, the Coast Guard named Cutter Henry Blake was at the scene to recover a net that broke free from the Aleutian Isle as divers strived to remove a second net submerged where the boat first sank at the 100-foot mark. The department informed.

Responders observed that the sheen on the water had reduced by Tuesday, the department said.

No whales were spotted close by. However, the Department of Ecology reported that observers are still monitoring for activities.

The Coast Guard got a distress call from the vessel when it kept taking on water at around 2 pm on Saturday.

The good Samaritans successfully rescued the five crew members before the Coast Guard reached, per Petty Officer Michael Clark, associated with the US Coast Guard 13th District Pacific Northwest.

The crew estimated there were approximately 2,500 gallons of diesel out of the 4,000-gallon capacity on the vessel and about 100 gallons of oils and lubricants used for boat engines when it had sunk off Sunset Point on the San Juan Island, Keltner reported.

References: KGMI, The Seattle Times

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