There’s no damage to the barge that ran aground late Wednesday night about 80 miles southeast of Sitka, but there was a small oil sheen spotted around the area. That’s according to a report released Friday, Mar. 3 by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
The 100-foot Ocean Eagle was sailing through Sumner Strait with a barge in tow when it grounded on Mariposa Reef. A helicopter from Air Station Sitka rescued the tug’s five-man crew, who were reportedly unharmed in the incident.
U.S. Coast Guard cutters Liberty and Maple arrived on scene Thursday morning, along with two additional tugs contracted by Brusco Tug & Barge, the owner of the Ocean Eagle.
On Friday morning, Alaska commercial divers inspected the barge and reported no damage. As of 2:30 Friday afternoon, divers were gearing up to inspect the tug’s hull for damage as well.
There’s an estimated 110,000 gallons of diesel fuel between the tug and barge, but the captain of the Ocean Eagle told the DEC an estimated 15 gallons of diesel spilled from the tug’s day tank.
Brusco Tug & Barge plans to tow the barge to Sitka. Pending the dive team’s assessment, the Ocean Eagle will be transported to Ketchikan.