Bering Sea sheen; 140 nm WNW St Matthew Island

140 nm WNW St Matthew Island | 2007-Jul-06

Initial Notification: Rcvd call fm LT Hnatow at USCG command center in Juneau to report 12 Russian vessels in area with sheen (5 nm x 200 yds) outside of the EEZ. USCGC MELLON (with deployed helo) spotted sheen and flew sortie to gather more data. USCG looking to assess potential for sheen to cross into US EEZ. Vessel believed to be the source is Vasilyenvnsky Ostrov.