The Ocean Spirit I aground just off the entrance of the East Gregory Channel of Charlotte Amalie Harbor in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands — Coast Guard crews are responding Tuesday to the grounding of the 223-foot Togo-flagged cargo vessel Ocean Spirit I just off the entrance of the Charlotte Amalie Harbor East Gregory Channel.
Coast Guard marine casualty investigators are on scene investigating the cause of the grounding, there are no signs of distress or oil leaking from the vessel at this time and the East Gregory Channel entrance remains open to maritime traffic.
The crew of the Ocean Spirit I completed the sounding of the vessel’s fuel and ballast tanks while Sea Tow-St. Thomas crews conducted an underwater damage assessment of the vessel’s hull.
Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment St. Thomas personnel are working with the master and owner of the Ocean Spirit I and the vessel’s salvage company to minimize any potential environmental impact or damage to the vessel’s hull during refloating and removal operations.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan where initially contacted by St. Thomas Harbor pilots at approximately 5 a.m. Tuesday, who reported the incident.
