F/V Birgit N; Ulak Island, Aleutian Islands

Ulak Island, Aleutian Islands | 1987-Mar-09

Initial Notification: NOAA/OAD was notified of the incident at 0930 on March 9, 1987, by the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office, Anchorage, and asked to provide trajectory, resources-at-risk, and weather information. Consultation with the NWS in Anchorage indicated quite variable wind and weather conditions, thus making fuel trajectory forecasts difficult and unreliable. By March 12, the salvage crew, Underwater Construction, reported that the vessel had been abandoned, with the crew to arrive in Adak on March 13, and 70% of the 18,000 gallon fuel capacity had been lost. A U.S. Coast Guard overflight on March 13 reported that the vessel remained hard aground on a rocky ledge 100-200 yards off the beach with a 15 degree starboard list, and a light oil sheen up to 3/4 mile long observed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) reported that, by mid-April, an estimate 500 sea otters and 7,000 birds (gulls, cormorants, and puffins) would be in the area. USFWS recommended three possible courses of action to remove the oil: 1) removing the fuel, 2) burning the fuel in place, or 3) during a favorable wind, blow the tanks and release all the fuel at once. USCG district 17. Keyword: (position 51-21N, 178-59W).