Tug Western Mariner Grounding Neva Strait

Location: Neva Strait, approximately 18 miles northwest of Sitka
Time/Date: 2:55am March 21, 2022
Spill Id: 22119908001
Product/ Quantity: An unknown quantity of diesel was spilled. The vessel has a maximum capacity of 50,000 gallons. Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. estimates the amount of fuel onboard at the time of the grounding to be 43,500 gallons. 32,080 gallons of clean fuel and 11,625 gallons of mixed oil and water from within the vessel were recovered. Skimming operations recovered an estimated 1,750 gallons of oily water, and 15 cubic yards of saturated absorbents have been generated. All fuel tanks aboard the Western Mariner have been opened, inspected, and emptied of product.
Cause: The 83.7 ft. tug vessel, Western Mariner, was towing the freight barge, Chichagof Provider, headed south in Neva Straight outside of Sitka when a temporary steering failure onboard the Western Mariner caused the barge to collide with the tug. The collision pushed the tug onto the beach, resulting in the release of diesel.

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Natural Resource Damage Assessment

Natural Resource Damage Assessment is a process authorized under the Oil Pollution Act to determine the appropriate type and amount of restoration needed to offset spill-related impacts to fish, wildlife, their habitats, and the human uses of those natural resources. It is separate from the emergency response to an oil spill, which focuses on containing and cleaning up spilled oil.