USCG co-ordinates burning-ship rescue, vessel salvage

AMVER is a worldwide voluntary ship-reporting system sponsored by the USCG. Search and rescue authorities use AMVER vessel position information to identify participating commercial ships near a maritime distress and request their assistance.

Off California, US, a unified command, co-ordinated by the USCG, has responded to a grounded fishing vessel at Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco. All mariners from 18-m vessel Lake Bay, which had around 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel onboard, were rescued.

A salvage company was contracted by the unified command to safely remove all fuel from the vessel before attempting to refloat this damaged vessel.

As of 24 August, no injuries, active fuel leaks or wildlife impacts had been reported and the cause of the grounding was under investigation.

“Our top priorities are ensuring the safety of the first responders and the public, stabilising the incident, and limiting environmental impacts,” said USCG incident commander, Carey Lewis.

“Responders are continuously monitoring and evaluating the site for pollution and any potential risk factors so we can approach operations with [the] intention to minimise environmental impacts.”

The unified command is comprised of the USCG, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response and Marin County Fire.

Also in the US, the USCG has awarded a US$60M contract to Framingham, Massachusetts-headquartered Tutor Perini Corp to rebuilding its facilities and build new infrastructure to support future fast-response cutter operations in St. Petersburg, near Tampa, Florida.

This includes construction of new berthing, marine maintenance facilities and a multipurpose training centre, upgrading berth strength to accommodate crane operations and installation of new mooring fenders and utility hardware.