NEWPORT, Ore. — The Coast Guard assisted two people and continues to respond after a 48-foot fishing vessel allided with the north side of the north jetty at the entrance to Yaquina Bay, near Newport, Ore., Sunday.
Coast Guard Group North Bend, located in North Bend, Ore., received a report at approximately 10:50 p.m., stating the 48-foot fishing vessel Two Mikes had run aground on the ocean side of the north jetty with two people on board.
Group North Bend launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew and a land unit from Station Yaquina Bay, in Newport.
Both crews arrived on scene to find one person off the vessel and on the jetty. Land unit crewmembers assisted the other person from the vessel to the jetty and then helped both survivors from the jetty to the beach where local EMS were waiting. Minor injuries were reported.
Two Mikes began taking on water and sinking outside the channel shortly after impact. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Facility Newport is scheduled to conduct a flight Monday morning to search for vessel debris and assess potential pollution impact.
The captain of Two Mikes reports approximately 2,000 gallons of diesel on board at the time of the incident. Included in that total are reportedly three 100-gallon containers and three 55-gallon drums of diesel. Coast Guard pollution responders from Sector Columbia River’s Incident Management Division are developing an effective clean-up operation. The Coast Guard pollution response team is working closely with the responsible party, contractors, NOAA Scientific Support Coordinators, and Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay to mitigate the potential impact on the environment. Contractors are on scene conducting initial assessments and will begin cleanup operations soon.
“Sector Columbia River has hired an oil spill response contractor to assess and perform the clean-up,” said Capt. Bruce Jones, Captain of the Port and Coast Guard Sector Columbia River Commander. “Our primary goals are the safety of responders and to recover as much diesel as possible to protect the sensitive areas within Yaquina Bay and along the coast.”
