JUNEAU, Alaska – The Unified Command for the Princess Kathleen Assessment Operations will host an open house Thursday, April 1, 2010 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the DIPAC Center.
The public is encouraged to attend and learn about the structural integrity and condition of the Princess Kathleen and estimates for the volume of fuel still onboard. The Unified Command will also share information about plans for removing fuel from the vessel. Representatives from the Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and Global Offshore Divers will be available to answer questions.
“This is an opportunity for the public to meet with the people in charge of this response,” said Coast Guard Capt. Melissa Bert, federal on-scene coordinator for the cleanup. “One of our goals is always complete transparency of operations, so we hope that citizens with questions about the ship will visit the open house and share their concerns.”
The 369-foot Princess Kathleen, a Canadian Pacific Railroad vessel built in 1925, went aground and sank near Point Lena in 1952. The ship now rests on a slope in 80 to 140 feet of water and continues to periodically cause small unrecoverable oil sheens in the area.
