KODIAK, Alaska – The Coast Guard and good Samaritans have responded to the grounding of the 48-foot Kodiak-based fishing vessel Sisiutl in Portage Bay off Shelikof Strait 133 miles southwest of Kodiak City Friday.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Anchorage received a call at 5:58 a.m. over VHF-FM channel 16 and subsequently by satellite phone from the master of the good Samaritan vessel Invincible reporting the Sisiutl aground in Portage Bay with three people aboard and a fuel load of about 600 gallons of diesel. The vessel was reportedly listing to one side and the crew had donned survival suits.
A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew were dispatched to the scene from Air Station Kodiak with dewatering pumps. The Hercules crew arrived on scene and air dropped their pump at about 8:30 a.m. The helicopter crew arrived on scene at about 9 a.m. and lowered a second dewatering pump to the vessel’s crew.
It was determined the Sisiutl’s crew was in no immediate danger and the aircrews were directed to return to the air station. The crew of the Sisiutl are making temporary repairs to their vessel and will attempt to refloat the vessel on the next high tide this evening. The crew of the Invincible and at least two other good Samaritan vessels remain in the area on standby. Sector Anchorage watchstanders are maintaining communications with the vessel on a regular call-in schedule.
There have been no reports of injuries or pollution. Weather on scene at the time of the incident was reported as 35 mph winds, four to eight-foot seas with an overcast sky and visibility of about three miles.
Personnel from Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak flew aboard the Hercules to assess the vessel. They will continue to monitor the situation and investigate the cause of the grounding.
