Fishing boat leaks diesel into surf
SEATTLE – Hundreds of gallons of diesel leaked into the surf at a state park after a 40-foot fishing vessel ran aground near the mouth of Gray's Harbor, Wash.
Coast Guard units from Oregon and Washington and Washington Department of Ecology responded to a diesel fuel leak Saturday after the Miss Elora grounded on Westhaven State Park Beach.
At 4 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Ore., received a report that two people were on board when the vessel ran aground.
Air Station Astoria launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew to respond.
Station Gray's Harbor launched a 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew.
The response crews were called off after the two fisherman were able to make it ashore safely via a dinghy.
The Coast Guard and Department of Ecology began working with contractors to have the diesel fuel removed from the vessel, but the vessel’s rapid deterioration resulting from the heavy surf made that imposible, the Coast Guard said.
The vessel owner was able to recover approximately 100 gallons of diesel.
Another 250 gallons of diesel leaked into the water and have been deemed unrecoverable due to the heavy surf conditions, the Coast Guard said.
The Washington State Parks Department is currently working with the vessel owner to recover the debris on the beach.
