June 15, 2009

Alaska Coast Guard responds to grounded Petersburg vessel

From a Coast Guard press release:

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port for Southeast Alaska has placed a captain of the port order on the 42-foot commercial fishing vessel, Moonshadow, and is coordinating placement of boom around the vessel after it reportedly grounded 30 miles west of Wrangell about 10 a.m. Monday.

A Coast Guard boat detachment crew in Petersburg boarded the vessel with dewatering pumps and determined the hull's watertight integrity had been compromised and 300 gallons of fuel were safely contained on board.

The operator of the Moonshadow contacted the Coast Guard Sector Juneau Rescue Coordination Center by VHF radio reporting the grounding. In addition to the Coast Guard crew, multiple good Samaritans and a Wrangell search and rescue crew responded with other dewatering pumps.

No injuries have been reported and the cause of the grounding is not known at this time. Minimal pollution was reported.

The Coast Guard will investigate the cause of the grounding.

The Moonshadow is homeported in Petersburg.