Charter boat sank after hitting rock in Channel Islands. How are salvage efforts going?
Two days after a charter sport-fishing boat sank in the Channel Islands, the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response have completed a salvage operation to remove the vessel.
Fourteen people were rescued early Thursday after the passenger vessel struck a rock and began sinking near Santa Cruz Island off the Santa Barbara County coast, officials said.
At about 2:30 a.m., the Coast Guard Command Center in Long Beach received a mayday call from the captain of the 45-foot vessel Sea Jay reporting that it was taking on water near Pelican Bay, the Coast Guard said.
The captain told the 10 passengers and three crew members to abandon the boat while he anchored the vessel and released the life raft. He then boarded the raft as well.
In response, a small boat was launched from Coast Guard Station Channel Islands, and a helicopter was dispatched from Forward Operating Base Point Mugu.
Responding to an emergency broadcast alert, a nearby boat, the Sea Biscuit, quickly arrived on the scene and began to recover the survivors, the Coast Guard said.
The Sea Jay, which was based out of Hooks Landing at Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, was fully submerged and anchored, officials said.
With passengers and crew safe, focus turned to the recovery operation, which included underwater assessment, refloating, stabilization and the safe transfer of the vessel to harbor, Coast Guard representatives said.
“Our partnerships played a crucial role in the swift response and safe recovery and removal of the vessel. At no time during any phase of the operation were recoverable hydrocarbons present,” said Coast Guard Capt. Ryan Manning, the federal on-scene coordinator. “These actions have successfully mitigated any potential threat to public health and the environment.”
The Coast Guard initially said a sheen had been reported in the vicinity of the vessel, and the boat’s diesel fuel tanks had a total capacity of 220 gallons.
The Coast Guard, state Office of Spill Prevention and Response and other participating agencies said Saturday they had concluded recovery operations.
The Coast Guard will continue working with partner agencies to investigate the cause behind the grounding and sinking.