F/V Angel Rae sinking
The Angel Rae sunk at its mooring at the port’s Harbor Island Marina, located on the southern tip of the island, and an undetermined amount of diesel fuel escaped from the vessel’s fuel tanks.
Summary information
Harbor Island Marina, Seattle
The Angel Rae sunk at its mooring at Harbor Island Marina.
Status updates
November 10, 2009
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), U.S. Coast Guard and the Port of Seattle continue to respond an oil spill at Harbor Island Marina in Seattle.
Port police received a report shortly after two this morning that a vessel had sunk at its mooring at the port’s Harbor Island Marina, located on the southern tip of the island. The 65-foot Angel Rae is partially submerged. An undetermined amount of diesel fuel escaped from the vessel’s fuel tanks.
A spill-response contractor this morning placed floating boom around the vessel to stop the spread of oil on the water’s surface. A diver plugged fuel-tank air vents from which the fuel was escaping. Cleanup crews pumped out approximately 100 gallons of diesel that remained in the boat’s fuel tanks.
The spilled fuel spread out quickly to create a thin patchy sheen on the water’s surface. The sheen extended within several feet of shore northward – approximately 300 yards along the East Waterway and 200 yards along the West Waterway.
Cleanup crews on boats patrolled the sheen area looking for patches dense enough to remove from the water with oil-absorbent cleanup pads. Inside the boomed area around the boat, crews placed and removed hundreds of the two-foot square pads.
The cleanup effort received assistance from the King County Sheriff’s Office which flew its helicopter over the spill area at sunrise and provided video of the sheen to Ecology.
The Port of Seattle will be removing the vessel from the harbor and taking it to dry dock.