NEWPORT, Ore. — The Coast Guard has observed and is responding to a sheen in the vicinity of the grounded 48-foot fishing vessel Two Mikes along the north jetty near Newport, Thursday.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Group North Bend’s Air Facility Newport observed an approximate 50- by 100-foot sheen along the ocean side of the jetty at approximately 5 p.m. The Coast Guard has since determined the sheen to be rapidly dispersing and non-recoverable.
Contractors, hired by Coast Guard Sector Columbia River’s Incident Management Division, on standby in the vicinity of Newport, were immediately notified and are on scene to monitor the sheen and set up pollution response equipment, including 1000 feet of boom.
IMD will coordinate with Ballard Diving and Salvage to assess weather predictions for the next several days in an attempt to find a safe window for divers to sting the fuel tanks on the submerged vessel to remove fuel and mitigate pollution.
Previous weather assessments have yielded no safe opportunities.
The Coast Guard has been working closely with NOAA Scientific Support Coordinators, contractors and a representative from the vessel’s owner to mitigate any potential pollution or hazard to navigation posed by the vessel since it allided with the jetty on Sunday.
