Efforts to salvage grounded fishing boat in Channel Islands halted due to stormy weather
Efforts to salvage a commercial fishing boat that ran aground on Santa Cruz Island earlier this month have been halted by stormy weather, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Speranza Marie, carrying 16,000 pounds of squid and some 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, hit the shoreline near Chinese Harbor in the Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara on Dec. 15.
Six crew members were on board, and all were rescued without injury by another fishing boat.
Efforts have been underway since then to salvage the vessel, which is owned by Ocean Angel VI LLC.
A salvage team pulled the vessel off the shoreline and anchored it in deeper water.
However, large swells caused by the recent storm caused the Speranza Marie to pull loose from its anchored position and drift about 100 yards from its original grounded location in Chinese Harbor, according to the Coast Guard.
“Weather and sea conditions continued to present an unsafe working environment on Monday, so crews were unable to move the vessel to a more stable location,” the Coast Guard said in a press release.
“Drone imagery and a helicopter overflight on Tuesday observed significant damage to the vessel, with debris onshore and minor sheening around the vessel, but response crews do not currently have safe access to the site.”
Salvage and response crews are monitoring the weather and sea conditions for an opportunity to assess the situation, amend the plans, and resume operations.
The Coast Guard established a safety zone of 4,000 yards around the boat to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment during ongoing salvage operations.
No vessels or people are permitted within the safety zone without permission from the captain of the port or a designated representative, and vessels needing to operate within or transit through the safety zone can contact the Coast Guard or law enforcement agency on scene.
This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 3:38 PM.