Motor Vessel Selendang Ayu Unified Command Joint Information Center | |||||
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Date: Jan. 18, 2005 Coast Guard information officer: (907) 581-7600X4046 | |||||
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JUNEAU, Alaska - Officials and response teams with the Selendang Ayu Unified Command continue to progress with clean up efforts near Unalaska Island. Dependent on the weather, today's response activities will include over flights and shoreline assessment and cleanup in Unalaska, Skan, Portage, Humpback and Captains bays. Also planned are vessel lightering, water quality sampling and wildlife recovery operations. Cleanup crews worked in Humpback, Skan and Portage bays Saturday and Sunday collecting just short of 2,000 bags of oily waste. To date, crews have collected 17,183 bags of oily solid waste. The heavy lift helicopter couldn't fly due to inclement weather preventing additional lightering during the weekend. However, the lightering team welded additional metal salvaged from the Selendang Ayu to the wave deflector/breakwater shield adjacent to the number four port cofferdam. This adjustment will protect crews and the cofferdam from waves that surge onto the stern deck of the vessel. The total volume lightered from the wreck remains at 40,193 gallons of intermediate fuel oil and 2,647 gallons of diesel for a total of 42,840 gallons. U.S. Forest and Wildlife Service reported crews between Wednesday and Saturday recovered 90 dead birds. To date, responders recovered 735 dead birds. Water quality sampling continued Sunday in Akutan and Unalaska areas. Crews found trace amounts of oil during tows conducted in the Unalaska transit zone, three miles offshore, and Captains Bay. Tows conducted in Unalaska and Akutan bays did not produce oil findings. As a result of the tanner crab currently being harvested, the Unified Command implemented an enhanced program to protect seafood quality. To date, seafood inspectors at Dutch Harbor processing plants found all product free of oil contamination. Today's weather in Dutch Harbor consists of an air temperature of 39 degrees, 25 knot winds, 10 foot seas, three miles of visibility and overcast skies with rain. -30- |
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