Fuel Cleanup Resumes at Ship Aground in Aleutian Islands
Fuel removal resumed on the Selendang Ayu on Tuesday after crews built a steel barrier to protect workers from the fierce waves of the Bering Sea washing over the port side of the broken freighter.
A salvage team recovered nearly 6,400 gallons of fuel oil after completion of a 3 1/2 -foot-tall chute built over an opening leading to below-deck tanks.
The chute -- called a coffer dam -- allows easier access for crews while shielding the working area on the listing port side, which is much more vulnerable to the crashing sea, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Thomas McKenzie.
A small amount of fuel oil remaining on the starboard side also was removed Tuesday.
The total fuel and water recovered to date stands at nearly 41,400 gallons.
Rough weather has hindered cleanup efforts since the soybean freighter broke in half Dec. 8, causing a major oil spill, after it ran hard aground off the western shore of Unalaska, one of the Aleutian Islands.
Six crew members were lost at sea in the crash of a Coast Guard helicopter carrying them away just before the disabled ship wrecked.
Most of the estimated 442,000 gallons of fuel once on the boat is believed lost, although the Coast Guard said no one knew how much was spilled.
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