A fishing vessel ran aground on St. George Island, Alaska, on 5 January, carrying 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel, officials said.

The 134-foot crab boat, Arctic Sea, was fishing for tanner crab north of the island when 50-knot winds pushed it onto the shore.

At the time, the vessel also had 2,000 gallons of hydraulic and lube oil and 11,000 pounds of tanner crab onboard.

All nine crew members were rescued safely by a Coast Guard helicopter and taken to St. Paul. A nearby vessel from the same operator’s fleet assisted during the rescue.

Stormy weather has so far prevented salvage and pollution response teams from reaching the vessel.

Authorities reported a diesel sheen extending about 6–8 miles long and 200 yards offshore, but the amount of fuel that has spilled is unknown.

Eric Deakin, president of the vessel’s owner, Coastal Villages Region Fund, said the first priority for the salvage team will be to remove the remaining fuel before attempting to recover the boat.

Severe winter storms may delay these efforts until spring.

Officials are particularly concerned about wildlife. The nearest sea lion and seal rookeries are two miles west of the spill site.

St. George Island is rat-free, and the DEC said that if rats were brought ashore from the vessel, the damage to the ecosystem could be much worse than the oil spill.

Resolve Marine has been hired to handle pollution control and salvage operations.

Meanwhile, monitoring continues from high cliffs on the island, with authorities coordinating efforts with the U.S. Coast Guard and oil spill response teams.

Reference: alaskasnewssource