US Coast Guard responds to sunken tug in Port Townsend, Washington

US Coast Guard pollution control teams have responded to a report of an oil spill from a tug that sank at the Port Orchard Railway Marina in Port Townsend, Washington, on Monday, July 29.

Members from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound’s Incident Management Division arrived on-scene to oversee the removal and containment of fuel discharged from the 19-metre-long Meagan M.

The vessel is currently registered as a towing vessel. However, the master claims it has been used in a strictly recreational capacity for the past two years.

Approximately 940 litres of red dye diesel fuel and hydraulic oil have so far been recovered at the scene.

Local company Global Salvage and Diving has been contracted to remove the pollution from the vessel and has deployed hard boom and sorbents to prevent further pollution potential. Coast guard cleanup crews have removed the remainder of fuel from the vessel and closed all vents.

The vessel sinking reportedly caused a dock to overturn, resulting in damage to a nearby vessel.

The coast guard is working closely with the US Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Washington State Department of Ecology, and local contractors to protect the environment and mitigate potential impacts from pollution.