Coast Guard evacuates some crew from distressed ship carrying 300K gallons of fuel near Unalaska

UNALASKA — The U.S. Coast Guard removed four crew members from the Pan Viva on Saturday afternoon. The distressed 738-foot Panama-flagged cargo ship was anchored near Constantine Bay in Unalaska. The tugboat Gretchen Dunlap was standing by to assist the ship, according to several sources working on the response.

The ship is carrying 300,000 gallons of fuel and was anchored but struggling to keep its position against strong winds. Assistant City Manager Marjie Veeder said of the situation: “Pray that the anchor holds.”

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Commander Michael Salerno said that while there is no mechanical failure, the ship is facing weather conditions intense enough to put the vessel “in danger of running aground.” He said officials are weighing environmental impacts as well as the safety of life at sea.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew removed four of the 21 people aboard the Pan Viva on Saturday afternoon: two cadets and two members of the kitchen staff. Salerno said these crew members were removed as a precautionary measure in case conditions worsen.

“Now they only have to hoist 17 folks, rather than 21, which speeds things up if things were to deteriorate,” Salerno said.

The ship is outside the more shallow areas of the bay, using 700 to 800 feet of anchor line, according to Salerno.

A meteorologist with the National Weather Service said high storm-force winds were set to begin coming down Saturday night and early Sunday morning, and the slow-moving storm was not expected to ease until Monday. Waves would likely remain agitated in Unalaska Bay through the remainder of the weekend.

The Coast Guard said conditions reported Saturday night included winds of 30 to 40 knots along with 20-foot seas.

In an update Sunday morning, the agency said the Pan Viva remained anchored near Unalaska “and partner agencies remain in contact as the vessel awaits a break in heavy weather.”

Steve White is the executive director of the Marine Exchange of Alaska, which has a 24/7 monitoring center and provides information to vessels about areas to avoid, including marine mammal sanctuaries and possible cables on the seafloor.

Many of the Marine Exchange’s monitoring protocols emerged after the 2004 Selendang Ayu oil spill. That incident involved a tanker running aground north of Unalaska Island and led to the death of six crew members, as well as a major oil and cargo spill.

“The Selendang Ayu was broken down for several hours — I think 15 — before they notified anybody they were close to shore,” White said. “It was bad weather. I was active duty Coast Guard at that time and once we got on scene, we really couldn’t get the right assets out there in time to prevent what happened. We lost a helicopter in that. People died trying to pull (crew) off the vessel.”

White said, “That is a case in anybody’s mind who has operated in and around Alaska, and that’s why a lot of these procedures have matured to where they are today.”

This story originally appeared on KUCB and is republished here with permission.