HOUSTON — The Coast Guard contracted a salvage company to remove the threat of pollution from a derelict fishing vessel that went aground Thursday, about 20 miles south of Freeport, Texas, on Sargent Beach.
The captain of the vessel Lady Glenda contacted Coast Guard Sector Houston/Galveston watchstanders just after noon Tuesday and reported the vessel Rich listing with marine growth and drifting about 20 miles southeast of Freeport. A Coast Guard Station Freeport 45-foot Response Boat — Medium boatcrew located the vessel that afternoon but weren’t able to go aboard due to safety concerns. Another of the station’s boatcrews located the vessel Wednesday and observed that the engine room was full of water and all the electronics in the pilot house had been removed.
Coast Guard Station Freeport crews check out a derelict vessel, Rich, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, located about 20 miles southeast of Freeport. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Station Freeport)
Wednesday Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Texas City personnel contacted the National Pollution Funds Center to acquire funding to mitigate the potential pollution threat and hired T&T Salvage.
A Coast Guard Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter found the vessel aground Thursday morning south of Freeport.
A survey is scheduled for Thursday evening for the salvage company to determine what is needed to remove the pollution threat. They are scheduled to begin work on removing the vessel Friday morning at first light.
“We opened up an Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund federal project number and we are going to hire contractors to remove the pollution threat as well as the vessel so there’s not any subsequent pollution threat issues,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Christina White, the federal on-scene coordinator representative from MSU Texas City. “Matagorda Sheriff’s office is going to assist us with patrols over the night to make sure the boat is still here tomorrow morning when the contractors come to remove it.”
