As dusk fell on Indian Cove on Monday night, a boat was slowly sinking in the middle of the cove.
Someone reported the boat as sinking a little before noon Monday, Petty Officer 1st Class Breanna Tessier said, and the Coast Guard immediately started searching for the owner. The Coast Guard tracked down the owner, who was not on board at the time the boat started sinking, later in the day and Petty Officer 1st Class Bill Colclough said the Coast Guard is now working with the owner to address the problem.
Both Colclough and Tessier said the water around the sinking vessel had a sheen to it, suggesting that some oil has leaked into the water. It’s unknown how much has leaked, and Tessier said it’s possible that the vessel sinks completely sometime Monday night. The cause of the sinking has not yet been determined, she said.
Colclough said the pleasure craft is between 30 and 40 feet long, and that there’s about 150 gallons of diesel on board. The Coast Guard has contracted Global Diving and Salvage to install boom, which is a floating dam used to contain an oil spill, around the vessel. Global is expected to do that Monday night.
A boat is in the process of sinking in Indian Cove in Juneau on Oct. 30, 2017. The boat appears to have leaked oil into the cove, according to the Coast Guard. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
A fellow boater comes to the aid of a boat in the process of sinking in Indian Cove in Juneau on Oct. 30, 2017. The boat has about 150 gallons of diesel fuel on it, according to the Coast Guard. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
