ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The sunken offshore supply vessel Monarch was located today near the southwest leg of the Granite Point oil platform in Cook Inlet, about 16 miles from Nikiski.
The tug Vigilant and the motor vessel Champion, equipped with side scan sonar, located the vessel at about 10:20 a.m. Additional scanning equipment is being mobilized to improve the quality of the sonar scan images.
The Unified Command with input from the salvage group is developing a plan to mark the Monarch using a transponder. The vessel is in about 86-feet of water.
A 10 by 100 yard ribbon of non-recoverable sheen was observed during an over flight of the area approximately one mile northeast of the Granite Platform at 10:28 a.m.
The Monarch sank in the vicinity of the oil platform Thursday. All seven crewmembers were safely evacuated to the platform and then onto shore by commercial helicopter.
The Coast Guard is continuing to investigate the cause of the sinking.
