Arctic-Sea

The salvage operations for the 'Arctic Sea' were “severely hampered by adverse weather off St. George Island on Jan. 5. The salvage vessel 'Makushin Bay' ((IMO: 5376208)), which was contracted by the state of Alaska to assess the wreck and start pumping off the fuel, was unable to anchor safely or launch a small boat amid 30‑ to 45‑knot winds and a rough sea state as of Jan. 20 situation. The salvors, however, were able to board the vessel, finding its bow mostly submerged and decks nearly awash. Report with photo: https://www.intrafish.com/fisheries/salvage-efforts-for-alaska-fishing-vessel-remain-severely-hampered/2-1-1932073

The 'Arctic Sea', which had a load of 11,000 pounds of crab in her holds, plus 50,000 gallons of diesel and 2,000 gallons of hydraulic and lube oil. when grounding in an environmentally sensitive area of the island's coast was unwelcome, could not yet be appraoched by the salvors of Resolve Marine to address pollution mitigation. It might take until springtime to progress the salvage, given the limitations of the site location and the severity of the winter weather. In the interim, the state was concerned about the prospects of pollution in the area. The 'Arctic Sea' was leaking diesel fuel, and at one point the slick measured up to eight miles long. Report with photo: https://maritime-executive.com/article/wrecked-crab-boat-spills-diesel-off-st-george

On Jan 8, the Alaskan authorities reported that an oil spill was spotted near the 'Arctic Sea'. The Alaskan Environmental authorities reported the spill was most likely from the 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board the fishing vessel. The ship also was carrying 2,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fluids. There was no estimate of how much oil pollution has been released. With sea lion and seals rookeries just being two miles west of the spill, there was concern the pollution could have a major environmental impact. In the vessel’s hold were 11,000 pounds of tanner crab, which can release toxins and bacteria that can poison the water and kill nearby crab in the area. Besides,. St. George Island is a rat free island and there was concern that if the 'Arctic Sea' had any rodents at the time of the incident, they may reach the shore alive and have a major impact of ground-nesting birds and other wildlife in the area. The Resolve Marine has been contracted for salvage operations to remove the fuel and oil off the vessel to mitigate pollution risks, but bad weather may prevent any salvage work for several months. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=132&v=fTGAlzdkMjM&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fshipwrecklog.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE

On the early morning of Jan 5, 2926, the 'Arctic Sea', en route from Dutch Harbor to Seatle with nine crew members and a few thousand pounds of catch aboard on board, ran aground amid gale force winds in the Bering Sea at the northern shoreline of St. George Island, Alaska. The fishing vessel got stuck a few hundred feet off the high cliffs of the north shore of the island and suffered hull damage with water ingress. At 4.11 a.m. the crew issued a distress call as the conditions worsened with swells between 10 to 20 feet and wind gusts reaching up to 65 knots. They donned survival suits and launched the life raft preparing to abandon ship if necessary. Another fishing vessel, the 'North Sea' (IMO: 7915905), responded and stood by to assist as conditions prevented the vessel approaching any closer due to on-scene weather conditions, which included 50-knot winds and 10-foot seas. The USCG depoyed an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Cold Bay and an HC-130 Super Hercules from Kodiak, and diverted the Coast Guard cutter 'Alex Haley-WMEC-39' (MMSI: 338945000) to the area. The MH-60 helicopter was able the hoist all crew members safely on board after its arrival at 11.30 a.m . They were flown to St. Paul Island ,where they were met by medical personnel without injuries The Resolve Marine has been contracted to oversee salvage operations of the grounded vessel. Reports with video: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4371291/coast-guard-rescues-9-people-near-st-george-island-alaska/ https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/01/06/severe-weather-leaves-vessel-9-people-stranded-forces-coast-guard-rescue/