SEATTLE — The U.S. Coast Guard responds to a diesel spill off the west coast of San Juan Island, Washington, after a 49-foot (15-meter) fishing boat sank with approximately 2,600 gallons (9,854 liters) of fuel on board.
A good Samaritan rescued the five crew members on the Aleutian island as the ship sank near Sunset Point on Saturday, the 13th Coast Guard Pacific Northwest District Seattle neighborhood and KIRO TV reported.
The cause of the sinking was not immediately known. The Aleutian Island reported taking on water around 2 p.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard said.
Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound said personnel spotted an oil splinter about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) long around 5 p.m. Saturday, the district said.
Some of the shard had entered nearby Canadian waters, NCO Michael Clark said Sunday.
The Coast Guard was working Sunday with the Canadian Coast Guard Regional Operations Center, the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management, the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Oil Spill Association of nonprofit islands to contain and recover the spill, Clark said.
The Coast Guard also said it was working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which was tracking the path of the spill, and others to ensure that southern resident killer whales near the San Juan Islands do not come into contact. with the spill.
San Juan Island is approximately 90 miles (144 kilometers) north of Seattle and 16 miles (25.6 kilometers) east of Victoria, British Columbia.
“We are working with government and industry partners to ensure an effective and efficient containment and recovery response,” said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Brian Dykens said in a statement. “The local public, the environment and protected marine species are our top priority.”
