On the morning of Sat., Sept. 3, members of the U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies responded to an oil spill caused by a 40-foot yacht that sank near Two Harbors on Catalina Island.
The yacht, which reportedly was submerged in 65 feet of water, had about 210 gallons of fuel, batteries, a portable generator and cleaning products, according to the Coast Guard.
“Due to the pollution threat this vessel represents to the environment and surrounding area, the Coast Guard opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to hire an oil spill response organization to conduct clean-up operations,” the Coast Guard’s federal on-scene coordinator representative, Petty Officer 1st Class Jake Hill, explained. “Under the Coast Guard’s direction, the hired OSRO completed recovery and clean-up operations Monday.”
The USCG moved to stop further spillage by sealing the boat’s fuel vents, while the island’s Isthmus Harbor Patrol put out a containment boom.
“With help from our response partners including: Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Baywatch Isthmus, and Isthmus Harbor Patrol, we were able to rapidly assess the risk to the environment and coordinate the safe removal of oil and HAZMAT from the ocean,” Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles–Long Beach’s commander, Capt. Ryan Manning, said.
