MIAMI -- The Coast Guard and partner agencies are responding to a diesel fuel spill that occurred approximately 7 miles northwest of Key West, Tuesday.
At approximately 8:46 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Key West received a report of the fishing vessel, San Diego running aground on the Northwest Channel Jetty. Watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Station Key West 45-foot Response Boat--Medium crew who arrived on scene, embarked the four people that were aboard the vessel and determined the hull was breached causing pollution in the area.
A pollution response team from Coast Guard Sector Key West is currently on scene to help mitigate the situation. TowBoat US has been contracted to clean up the spill.
The condition of the fishing vessel is being evaluated by the federal on scene coordinator and marine inspectors from Sector Key West.
"Our primary concern here is the safety of the boating public, pollution responders, and contractors; all while protecting the environment," said Lt. Quentin Long, Incident Management Division Chief of Sector Key West. "We are working under our Area Contingency Plan and coordinating efforts with federal, state, and trustee resources to assess and contain the discharge of oil as well as minimize the impact on environmentally sensitive ecosystems that we have here in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary."
The Florida Keys Area Contingency Plan (FKACP) is a response plan that facilitates a unified response among Federal, State, and local response agencies to effectively remove hazardous material, while minimizing environmental threats and protecting resources at risk within the Florida Keys.
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.
