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Aleutian Isle lying on starboard side 200 ft down; TFR extended to Oct. 15

Status report - 12 noon Wednesday, August 31, 2022  - An ROV was deployed early Tuesday morning August 30 to the Aleutian Isle wreck site. The ROV and subsequent dive operations confirmed the commercial fishing vessel is lying hard on her starboard side with the hull facing up slope, and has not moved from its general location at a depth of more than 200 feet off San Juan Island. Plans were to deploy the ROV again Wednesday afternoon as divers prepare for the next window of opportunity to dive to the wreck site.

Global's Dive Master, Jim Hegeman, monitors equipment in the mixed gas dive control van aboard the Manson Barge during ROV dive operations off San Juan Island, Wa., on Sept. 13, 2022. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Todd Hurley

Diving bell used to transport divers from the surface down into the water. 

Air monitoring continues with no elevated levels of concern. No visible sheen was observed Tuesday, and no Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) were detected in the area near the wreck site. Whale deterrence teams are on standby if SRKW are detected.

A temporary safety zone extends 1,000 yards around the wreck site. Coast Guard crews are on scene to enforce the safety zone, and can be contacted directly on VHF marine-band radio channel 16. Crews are on scene enforcing the zone and can be contacted directly on VHF radio channel 16. Coast Guard officials can seek a maximum penalty of over $94,000 for violations.

The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) around the Aleutian Isle wreck site has been extended until October 15, 2022. This TFR is in effect for both manned and unmanned aircraft. Response crews are working under very challenging conditions and aircraft can be a distraction or impede the operation of heavy equipment.

An incident-specific web page has been created by the Washington Department of Ecology. Additional photos of the response can be found on Flickr. Developing updates will also be posted periodically on the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest social media accounts listed below.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USCGPNW

Twitter: https://twitter.com/USCGPacificNW

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uscgpacificnw/

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