A US Coast Guard Air Station HC-130 Hercules airplane crew conducted an overflight on June 27 of the barge that was being towed by the tug 'Aries'. 'Aries' had four crew aboard when it started taking on water 109 miles east of St. Paul Island on June 26, and sank shortly afterward.
The Coast Guard, State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and C&K Marine are working jointly to address the environmental impact and response efforts concerning the tug and barge.
The three parties evaluated the pollution threat in coordination with environmental experts and determined there is minimal environmental impact at sea and no environmental threat to Alaskan shorelines. Their decision to recover the 'Aries' and any oil products on board will take into account a pending assessment of the tug and the safety risks involved with potential salvage operations. The owner of the tug is responsible for salvage and response operations.
The tug 'Blarney', homeported out of Naknek, is scheduled to recover the barge around 19:00 local time and tow it to Nome.