[dropcap]C[/dropcap]ontainment boom has been re-deployed around the sunken f/v Nordic Viking, the commercial fishing vessel that sunk at Seward’s T-Dock on Sunday morning after the shifting vessel pulled down the originally deployed boom as it settled further into the water.

In addition to re-deployment of oil spill boom, divers from Storm Chasers Marine Services Inc have dove on the stricken vessel to plug the fuel vents to prevent additional leakage.

While the Nordic Viking holds as much as 2,500 gallons of fuel, an estimated 700 gallons of diesel was onboard at the time the vessel went down according to the vessel’s owner. An additional fifty gallons was in a deck tank aboard the vessel. 

While the vents have been plugged, some fuel has escaped the vessel and a sheen has been observed 1.5 miles south of the harbor and a light sheen has also been detected in Scheffler Creek and Lagoon. It is unknown how much oil escaped as a result of the sinking.

The cause of the 71-foot vessel’s sinking is as yet been undetermined, according to Alaska DEC and the USCG.

Responsibility for the cleanup has been assumed by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund has been opened. Alaska Chadux has been contracted for the oil spill cleanup, and the owners have contracted with Storm Chasers to salvage the vessel.

“The Coast Guard’s main objective is to limit environmental impacts through the containment and cleanup of the release as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Capt. Sean MacKenzie, commander of Coast Guard Sector Anchorage. “We are working diligently with Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and contracted agencies to minimize the impact of this release.”

While birds have been seen around the spill site, there have been no reports of oiled birds or other wildlife.

The sinking was reported by the Seward Harbormaster at 11:30 am on Sunday.

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