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Aleutian Isle successfully raised to surface; no whales in area

Status update 7 p.m. Saturday, September:The Aleutian Isle, the fishing vessel that sank on August 13 near Sunset Point on the west side of San Juan Island, has been raised to the surface. It had been 200 feet deep.

The Aleutian Isle is lifted from the water by the crane barge September 17, 2022. Canada Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans photo

Tug, crane barge with crew and the raised Aleutian Isle September 17, 2022. Canada Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans photo

Crews are currently dewatering the vessel. They successfully removed 250 gallons of waste oil and are trying to remove any diesel fuel remaining onboard.

 Response vessels pull boom to collect sheen on the water's surface September 17, 2022. Canada Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans photo

Response vessels pull boom to collect sheen September 17, 2022. WA Dept. of Ecology photo

As anticipated, fuel was dislodged during the lift operation and caused a visible sheen on the water's surface. Response crews are containing the sheen and attempting to recover whatever is possible. No whales were in the vicinity during the lift, and there were no reported impacts to wildlife from the sheening.

The Aleutian Isle laying on its side after being lifted to the surface by a crane September 17, 2022.. Canada Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans photo.

Operations will continue through the evening. Once sufficiently dewatered and defueled, the vessel will be lifted onto a lined barge for transportation.

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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