Statement from IMC on Selendang Ayu Incident
With deep regret, by late Friday night, IMC had formally accepted that the six seafarers who remain missing following the crash of a United States Coast Guard’s rescue helicopter must now be presumed dead. Peter Chew, Group Managing Director of IMC made a statement through the Joint Command Information Centre following the Coast Guard’s announcement that the Search and Rescue operation was halted by nightfall on Friday. IMC continues to mourn its missing men and is doing all it can for their families and loved ones. Frederick Chavalit Tsao, the IMC Chairman, arrived in Alaska on Saturday morning to see the crew of the Selendang Ayu and meet all involved in the emergency operations. On Sunday he was in Juneau to meet Admiral James C.
Selendang Ayu Clean Up Continues
KODIAK, Alaska - Cleanup operations continue in earnest at the site of the Selendang Ayu wreck. Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Team (SCAT) personnel continue making progress and have surveyed 465 segments of the 799 beach segments identified as potentially impacted sites. Coast Guard Captain Ron Morris, Federal On-scene Coordinator said "The shoreline has been divided into segments as an aid for geographical referencing for response personnel. shoreline with some portion of 53 miles of those surveyed recommended for cleanup. The other 171 miles will not require further treatment. To date cleaning crews have collected 1,407 cubic yards of oily waste. There are currently 158 field response personnel and 21 vessels involved in the cleanup operations.
Barge Removed from Beach
The barge Kivalina was safely removed from a beach near Red Dog port late last night and is now being towed to a buoy offshore where divers will inspect it for damage. The 22,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board the barge will be offloaded once it is secured to the buoy and stabilized. “We’re extremely pleased with the results of last night’s activities to remove and stabilize the barge,” said Capt. Ron Morris, U.S. Coast Guard. “The team conducting the salvage did an excellent job and I commend them. Officials at Foss Maritime, owners of the barge, stated that its tug, Stacey Foss, began towing the barge to the buoy at approximately 10:45 this morning. The buoy lies approximately one mile offshore. It is used frequently to moor barges.
Coast Guard Detains Ship in Seward for Safety Violations
The Coast Guard detained the Arctic Transport in Seward Wednesday for five safety violations. Tom Rebar, skipper of the Arctic Transport, informed the Coast Guard Monday that the 203-foot ship was experiencing engine problems. The vessel departed Seattle days earlier and was in the Gulf of Alaska when it experienced engine problems and flooding. The Coast Guard cutter Mustang responded to the stricken vessel and escorted it to Seward at 6 a.m. Tuesday. Inspectors from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in Anchorage went to Seward Wednesday to perform a safety inspection on the ship. The inspection revealed uncontrolled flooding into a ballast tank…
Genei Maru No. 7 Waste Removal Operations Continue
A unified command including the Coast Guard, the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Alaska Department of Environmental (ADEC), Crowley Marine Services, and FOSS Environmental Services, today continued waste removal operations on a Japanese squid catcher that ran hard aground on Afognak Island November 10. The contractors continue to work to remove the hazardous and solid waste aboard the vessel but will not be salvaging the 97-ft. vessel. After reviewing the salvage assessment the Federal On Scene Coordinator and the State On Scene Coordinator determined that salvaging the vessel at this time isn’t feasible. “We will continue to remove the hazardous materials, oils and other solid waste,” said Capt. Ron Morris, Federal On Scene Coordinator.
