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The Coast Guard, state, and local agencies are responding to a fishing vessel that ran aground on Santa Cruz Island Thursday morning.
Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach watchstanders received a report from Vessel Assist Ventura that the fishing vessel Speranza Marie, a 60-foot fishing vessel with six people aboard and carrying roughly 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, ran aground in Chinese Harbor on Santa Cruz Island at approximately 2 a.m.
A good Samaritan fishing vessel responded to the incident and safely transferred the six crewmembers to their boat without injury and transported them to Ventura.
Vessel Assist is currently working on salvage operations.
The Coast Guard Cutter Blacktip is en route to monitor the situation and provide a safety zone around the incident.
The Coast Guard is working with local partners, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response and the responsible party to create a pollution mitigation and removal plan.
Cleanup crews are on-scene containing and recovering the diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is considered a non-persistent oil, compared to a heavier bunker or crude oil product, in even the calmest sea conditions, as it will lose 40% of its volume due to evaporation within 48 hours in cold weather.
No wildlife impacts have been reported/observed at this time, but crews are monitoring for them. Trained responders from OSPR have been put on standby and will be activated should they be needed.
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.
