ALASKA

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Division of Spill Prevention and Response
Prevention Preparedness and Response Program
SITUATION REPORT (SITREP)


CHANGESFROMPREVIOUSSITREPSAREDENOTEDINRED

Tug Powhatan Sinking

StarrigavanBay
SITREP#:5 Sitka

SPILL#:17119910901

TIME/DATEOFDISTRIBUTION:1:00p.m.June6,2017

POTENTIALRESPONSIBLEPARTY(PRP):SamsonTug&Barge

INCIDENTLOCATION:TheTugPowhatansankattheSamsonTug&Barge(Samson)dockandmoved330meters
totheNorthwestinStarrigavanBay,approximately7milesnorthofSitka.Thetugmovedfromaninitialdepth
of15meterstoitscurrentdepthofapproximately60meters.Thetugiscurrentlylocatedat570752.47N,
1352248.58W.

TIME/DATEOFSPILL:April19,2017atapproximately10:15p.m.

HOW/WHENSPILLWASDISCOVEREDANDREPORTED:TheUnitedStatesCoastGuard(USCG)MarineSafety
DetachmentSitkareportedthesinkingthroughtheNationalResponseCenteronApril19,2017at10:15p.m.

TYPE/AMOUNTOFPRODUCTSPILLED:InitialestimatesprovidedtotheAlaskaDepartmentofEnvironmental
Conservation(ADEC)of340gallonsofoilonboardwereinerror.Theamountofoilreleasedisunknown.

CAUSEOFSPILL:Thevesselsankatthedock;thecauseforthesinkingiscurrentlybeinginvestigated.

SOURCECONTROL:AlaskaCommercialDivers(ACD)arrivedthemorningofApril25,2017ontheirvessel,the
AlaskanSalvor.DiversfromACDwereabletocapthetwomainfueltankventsby2:00p.m.onApril25.
Subsequentdivesidentifiedmultiplelocationswhereoilcouldescapethevessel.Theselocationshavebeen
securedbycappingand/orothermeans.

RESPONSEACTION:ThePollutionMitigationandWreckRemovalPlansubmittedbySamsonwasreviewedand
approvedbytheUnifiedCommand.SamsoncontractedwithACDandPacificPile&Marine(PacificPile)toraise
anddisposeofthePowhatan.ThewreckremovalbargeSalvationwithaheavyliftcrane,theKP2deckbarge,
andthreeassistingtugs,theCarolynH.,theAllisonH.,andtheMaiaH.,arrivedonsceneonJune3rd.Workto
preparetheSalvationandthePowhatanfortheliftingprocessisongoing.SEAPROdeployedtheOilSpill
ResponseVessel(OSRV)NekaBaytothesiteonJune4thtoprovidebackupduringthewreckremovalprocess.
TheNekaBayisaBayClassvesselwithonboardskimmingcapabilities.TheADECSoutheastRegionStateOn
SceneCoordinatorisonsitetomonitorthewreckremovaloperation.

ThewatersurfaceabovethePowhatanremainsencircledby1,500feetofcontainmentboomwithsorbent
boominsidetocollectanysurfacingoil.Anadditional1,300feetofdeflectionboomremainsinplacetoprotect
StarrigavanBeach.SoutheastAlaskaPetroleumResponseOrganization(SEAPRO)continuestomaintainthe
TugPowhatanSinking SITREP5 June6,2017

boomandassistintherecoveryoffuelfromthePowhatan.Dailyoverflightstomonitortheoilreleasedfrom
thetugandpotentialimpactstosensitiveareasareconductedusingadrone.Aerialimageryshowsdecreased
sheenwithinthecontainmentboomsurroundingthePowhatanandnoadditionaloilingoftheshoreline.
PollutionmitigationeffortstorecoveroilfromthePowhatanresultedintherecoveryof6,830gallonsof
oil/watermixturetodate.

RESOURSESATRISKORAFFECTED:Herringlarvaerecentlyemergedfromthelastspawningeventandmaybe
inthesurfacewaterinthevicinityofthesinkingandsalmonfryaremigratingfromnearbystreamsandare
knowntousetheshorelineinthearearegularly.Thereisthepotentialforexposuretomarinewildlife,however
noseamammalshavebeenobservedbyresponseteamsorreported.StarrigavanBeachisusedforclam
harvesting.Deflectionboomremainsinplacetoprotectagainstoilreachingthebeach.ADEC,Alaska
DepartmentofHealth&SocialServices(ADH&SS),andU.S.NationalParkService(NPS)coordinatedtomake
alertsignsaskingthepublictorefrainfromusingthebeachandharvestingshellfishduetothepotential
presenceofoil.SignswerepostedatbothNorthandSouthStarrigavanBeachaccesspoints.TheUnified
Commandcontinuestomonitorthesituationandpotentialimpactstowildlife.

SpecialNoteforPublicAwareness:
ThoughunrelatedtothePowhatansinking,paralyticshellfishtoxinshavebeenidentifiedatStarrigavan.
SoutheastAlaskaTribalOceanResearch(SEATOR)hasasamplingprograminplacewhichpredatesthespilland
recommendsagainsttheharvestofallmolluscanshellfishatthislocationduetoelevatedlevelsofparalytic
shellfishtoxins.UpdatesandcontactinformationareavailableontheSEATORwebsite(SEATOR.org).

FUTUREPLANSANDRECOMMENDATIONS:SamsonintendstoraisethePowhatanonJune8th.Theheavylift
craneonboardtheSalvationwillliftthePowhatanandplaceitonthedeckbargetobetakenoffsitefor
disposal.TheUnifiedCommandhasestablishedsafetymeasurestobeinplacenearthepublicboatlaunch
duringthewreckremovalprocess.Thepublicboatlaunchwillremainopenandsafetymeasureswillinclude
establishinganowakezone,postedwarningsigns,anddirectingboatsawayfromtheoperationinsafetransit
lanes.AUSCGAuxiliaryvesselwillbeonscenetoassistindirectingboaters.

WEATHER:TheNationalWeatherServiceSpotForecastcallsforcloudyweatherwithrainlikely.Thehigh
temperatureisexpectedtobe55Fwithsoutheastwindsaround14mph.RainisexpectedforTuesdaynight
witheastwindsaround10mph.Thelowtemperatureisexpectedtobe50F.

UNIFIEDCOMMANDANDPERSONNEL:
IncidentCommander: GeorgeBaggen,SamsonTug&Barge
SOSC: BobMattson,ADEC
DSOSC: DavidPikul,ADEC
FOSC: CaptainShannanGreene
FOSCR: CWOJayWillimon

TIME/DATEOFTHENEXTREPORTDISTRIBUTION:Assituationrequires.

FORADDITIONALINFORMATIONCONTACT:DavidPikul,SoutheastRegionUnitSupervisor,
ADEC(907)4655234
http://dec.alaska.gov/spar/ppr/response/sum_fy17/170419101/170419101_index.htm

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TugPowhatanSinking SITREP5 June6,2017

ThebargeSalvation,theKP2deckbarge,andtwotugstiedupatSamsonsdock.TheAlaskanSalvorlocated
insidethecontainmentboomaroundthetugPowhatan.(PhotoprovidedbySamsonTug&Barge;June4,2017)

AGENCY/STAKEHOLDERNOTIFICATIONLIST:PleaserefertothefirstSITREP,distributedApril21,2017forthe
agency/stakeholdernotificationlist.ThefirstSITREPcanbefoundbyfollowingthelinkintheAdditional
Informationboxabove.

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