Post by LSDeep on Apr 4, 2005 11:56:24 GMT -5
ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands (30 Mar 2005) -- The 399-foot cargo ship Sea Cloud that ran aground Saturday morning about a quarter-mile off the island's south shore was safely refloated on Tuesday.
During a press briefing at Wilfred "Bomba" Allick Port and Transshipment Center on Tuesday morning, U.S. Coast Guard commander Elmer Emeric said after more than 72 hours of coordinated efforts between federal and local agencies that the ship had been freed and was ready to undergo further inspection.
Sea Cloud landed on a coral and sand embankment about a quarter-mile off the port on the south side of the island about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, as it was bringing nonhazardous dry goods to the cargo port.
Divers with the Coast Guard's salvage team investigated the ship - with the front half still aground on the reef and sand - during the weekend. The hull was not breached, and tanks holding 335,000 gallons of fuel were intact, according to Coast Guard officials.
No crew members were injured by the impact, and Coast Guard personnel from the regional inspection office on St. Croix were on the scene within an hour. Personnel from Puerto Rico also played a role in overseeing the refloating project.
On Tuesday, Emeric said preparation for the removal began Sunday, with officials from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Coast Guard, HOVENSA and the V.I. Port Authority determining how best to resolve the situation.
He said precautionary measures had to be taken to minimize the potential negative impacts on the environment and thousands of feet of boom - a heavy skirt-like plastic - was placed around the vessel to help contain any fuel in the event of a spill.
"As a team we looked at all the possible scenarios and the areas that would most be impacted and put the booms in place to protect those areas," Emeric said.
The refloating began at 1 a.m. Tuesday. Two tug boats hooked up to the ship, and water was taken out of the ballast to stabilize the ship.
"Once we were able to take some of that water out, the boat began to rise, and by 5:45 a.m. it was free-floating and flattened out on its own," he said.
Emeric said the tugs were not needed once the boat stabilized and was able to move on its own. The ship was sailed out about two miles from the dock to ensure it was not taking on any water.
Carlos Farchette, deputy chief of enforcement with DPNR, said the divisions of Fish and Wildlife and Environmental Protection were instrumental in planning to refloat the boat while minimizing further damage to the reef.
Farchette said those divisions will check the extent of damage the reef sustained.
Sea Cloud, registered in Antigua and Barbuda, is owned and operated by Parsiul Shipping Co. Ltd. Its last port of call before coming to St. Croix on Saturday was Trinidad, and after it is cleared by the Coast Guard it will off-load cargo on St. Croix and then head to Jacksonville, Fla.
The company will have to contract to have inspections done, and the Coast Guard will review the results. Emeric said it could take as long as three days for the ship to be inspected and cleared if no problems are found.
Coast Guard officials said crew members tested negative for alcohol use, and preliminary investigations showed the ship had no mechanical problems. The crew told the Coast Guard the grounding was caused by a navigational error.
SOURCE - Virgin Islands Daily News
During a press briefing at Wilfred "Bomba" Allick Port and Transshipment Center on Tuesday morning, U.S. Coast Guard commander Elmer Emeric said after more than 72 hours of coordinated efforts between federal and local agencies that the ship had been freed and was ready to undergo further inspection.
Sea Cloud landed on a coral and sand embankment about a quarter-mile off the port on the south side of the island about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, as it was bringing nonhazardous dry goods to the cargo port.
Divers with the Coast Guard's salvage team investigated the ship - with the front half still aground on the reef and sand - during the weekend. The hull was not breached, and tanks holding 335,000 gallons of fuel were intact, according to Coast Guard officials.
No crew members were injured by the impact, and Coast Guard personnel from the regional inspection office on St. Croix were on the scene within an hour. Personnel from Puerto Rico also played a role in overseeing the refloating project.
On Tuesday, Emeric said preparation for the removal began Sunday, with officials from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Coast Guard, HOVENSA and the V.I. Port Authority determining how best to resolve the situation.
He said precautionary measures had to be taken to minimize the potential negative impacts on the environment and thousands of feet of boom - a heavy skirt-like plastic - was placed around the vessel to help contain any fuel in the event of a spill.
"As a team we looked at all the possible scenarios and the areas that would most be impacted and put the booms in place to protect those areas," Emeric said.
The refloating began at 1 a.m. Tuesday. Two tug boats hooked up to the ship, and water was taken out of the ballast to stabilize the ship.
"Once we were able to take some of that water out, the boat began to rise, and by 5:45 a.m. it was free-floating and flattened out on its own," he said.
Emeric said the tugs were not needed once the boat stabilized and was able to move on its own. The ship was sailed out about two miles from the dock to ensure it was not taking on any water.
Carlos Farchette, deputy chief of enforcement with DPNR, said the divisions of Fish and Wildlife and Environmental Protection were instrumental in planning to refloat the boat while minimizing further damage to the reef.
Farchette said those divisions will check the extent of damage the reef sustained.
Sea Cloud, registered in Antigua and Barbuda, is owned and operated by Parsiul Shipping Co. Ltd. Its last port of call before coming to St. Croix on Saturday was Trinidad, and after it is cleared by the Coast Guard it will off-load cargo on St. Croix and then head to Jacksonville, Fla.
The company will have to contract to have inspections done, and the Coast Guard will review the results. Emeric said it could take as long as three days for the ship to be inspected and cleared if no problems are found.
Coast Guard officials said crew members tested negative for alcohol use, and preliminary investigations showed the ship had no mechanical problems. The crew told the Coast Guard the grounding was caused by a navigational error.
SOURCE - Virgin Islands Daily News