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Fuel spill keeps Coast Guard busy in John’s Pass
By SUZETTE PORTER
| Article published on Monday, Jan. 14, 2008 |
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| Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard |
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| Rodac, a 33-foot commercial shrimping vessel, rests about 15 feet offshore of Madeira Beach. The vessel sank to its deck plats Friday night and is listed to port on a sandbar. |
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JOHN’S PASS – The U.S. Coast Guard spent the weekend monitoring the cleanup of diesel fuel leaking from a shrimping vessel that sunk Friday night at the entrance to John’s Pass.
The captain of the Rodac, a 33-foot commercial shrimping vessel homeported in Redington Beach, sent out a call about 10:15 p.m. saying that his vessel was aground and taking on water.
Sea Tow Tampa Bay arrived on the scene about 10:30 p.m. and removed three uninjured crewmembers, but was unable to salvage the vessel, according to a Coast Guard report.
Rodac sunk to its deck plats and was listed to port on a sandbar. The vessel was reported to have about 200 gallons of diesel fuel onboard.
Coast Guard officials had said on Friday night that some fuel was leaking into surrounding water; however, due to sea conditions response teams were unable to boom the area to contain the fuel.
On Saturday, the Coast Guard reported that none of the fuel had leaked into the surrounding water until the owner began to salvage the vessel on Saturday afternoon.
Coast Guard officials said that Southern Waste Services had laid absorbent and hard boom around the vessel to contain the fuel. It was unknown how much fuel had spilled from the vessel.
At last report, Rodac was about 15 feet offshore of Madeira Beach and agencies were trying to determine the best course of action for cleanup of the fuel. The reason the vessel sank was still unknown.
The Coast Guard issued a safety broadcast to mariners about the hazard to navigation in the area.
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Article published on Monday, Jan. 14, 2008
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